H49b \^^/y > ) ) >()v . , \KK/\/\/y\/yy\/\/ ^>>>>)>>>7^'^- / ^ / / / / ' • < - ■■ ■ / / /• / ■' .' / f / ' / i ' / f f f f f / f f i f f f f f f / f f f / / f f / f / f f i / / f f / / f f / f r f f ' f f / / ■ ^ / / / / ./ / f r ■ ' f t f , f f f f .^ f r f -.«i<^r^ «.; <<«*:;*■; -,« --'- ^T' o 1^^ """^^r^anF^^H s3 < ^- %• jK ^ .-"« ^^ ^ - 'rtw^Jf ^t-^'.^^K^m. CiTAi^ f.-<8aic'* ':'C^ C'dK/j&ii^ m:^.:^^ < <<^c^av. / TO * THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF NORTHUMBERLAND, DURHAM, AND NEWCASTLE C UPON TYNE, j AND TO *> EACH OF ITS MORE ARDENT MEMBERS ESPECIALLY, <^ AMONGST WHOM THE AUTHOR HAS THE PLEASURE OF ENUMERATING ^ MANY FRIENDS, t "?; THIS VOLUME OF BRITISH OOLOGY <^ IS DEDICATED. -U V) oa I SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES. Bryan Abbs, Esq., Cleadon House, near Sunderland. John Adamson, Esq., F. L. S., F. A. S., Newcastle. E. Aked, Esq., Hebden Bridge, Halifax, Yorkshire. Matthew Anderson, Esq., Jesmond Cottage, near Newcastle. Mrs. Anderson, Jesmond House, near Newcastle. George Clayton Atkinson, Esq., Newcastle. James Atkinson, Esq., York. Richard Atkinson, Esq., Liverpool. John James Audubon, Esq., F. R. S., F. L. S. John Ayer, Esq., Heslington, near York. Sir Henry Browne, K. C. B., Bronwylfa, Wales. Edward Backhouse., Jun., Esq., Sunderland. Jonathan Backhouse, Esq., Polam Hill, Darlington, Durham. William Backhouse, Jun., Esq., Newcastle. Addison John Creswell Baker, Esq., Creswell House, Northum- berland. Rev. Thomas Baker, Whitburn, Durham. Robert Barclay, Esq., Leyton, Essex. T. A. Beck, Esq., Esthwaite Lodge, Cumberland. Mrs. Bell, Woolsington Hall, near Newcastle. John Bell, Esq., Thirsk, Yorkshire. Thomas Bell, Esq., F.R. S., F. L. S., F.G.S., 17, New Broad Street, London. Richard Sparling Berry, Esq., Bolton Lodge, near Lancaster. Charles William Bigge, Esq., Linden House, Northumberlanu. Henry Birkbeck, Esq., Norwich. J. Blythe, Esq., Naturalists' Museum, Clyde Street, Glasgow. W. Blythe, Esq., Burnham, Norfolk. John Bockett, Esq., Clapham Common, near London. Captain Bowen, R. N., Warringtree, Essex. George W. Braikenridgc, Esq., F. S. A., F. G. S., Brislington, near Bristol. Mrs. Brandling, Shotton Hall, Durham. VI LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Charles John Brandling, Esq., Middleton Lodge, Yorkshire. John Brandling, Esq., Kenton Lodge, Northumberland. Rev. R. H. Brandling, Gosforth House, near Newcastle. William Henry Brockett, Esq., Newcastle. William Burrell, Esq-, Broome Park, Northumberland. Sir George Crewe, Bart., Caulk Abbey, Derbyshire. Lady Crewe, Ditto Cambridge Philosophical Society. Ralph Carr, Esq., Dunston Hill, near Newcastle, 2 Copies. Abel Chapman, Esq., Woodford, near London. Miss E. H. Chapman, Newcastle. Frederick Chapman, Esq., Whitley, near Newcastle. John Chapman, Esq., West Jesmond, near Newcastle. William Chapman, Esq., Newcastle. W. H. Charlton, Esq., Kesleyside, Northumberland. Henry H. Cheek, Esq. Anthony Clapham, Esq., Benwell Grove, near Newcastle. J. C. Clarke, Esq., Kinnersley Castle, Hei*efordshire. James Graham Clarke, Esq., Fenham Hall, near Newcastle. William Clark, Esq., Belford House, Northumberland. W. B. Clark, Esq. Ditto, Miss Jane Clayton, Newcastle. Charles Colville, Esq., Duffield Hall, Derbyshire. Charles Conway, Esq., Pontihydyrum Works, near Newport. Thomas Cookson, Esq., Hermitage, Durham. John Cooper, Esq., Bungay. Miss Craster, Craster House, Northumberland. D. W. Crompton, Esq., F. L. S., London. Right Hon. Earl Durham, Lambton Castle, Durham. Lady Dundas, Beechwood, near Edinburgh. Miss D. M. Dale, Newcastle. Henry Dale, Esq., North Shields. John Davidson, Esq., Ridley Hall, Northumberland. Dixon Dixon, Esq., Benton West House, near Newcastle. Henry Doubleday, Esq., Epping. Henry Dover, Esq. John Drayson, Esq., Pattishall House, near Towcester. Anthony Eastcrby, Esq., Carville Hall, neai" Newcastle. LIST UF SUBSCRIBERS. VII John Elton, Esq., Redland, near Bristol. Mr. Charles Empson, Newcastle. Hon. W. Twisleton Fiennes, F. L. S., F. H.«S., Belvidere,'Davtford, Kent. Mrs. Farrer, John's Street, Berkeley Square, London. A. Fenwick, Esq., Bishopwearmouth, Durham. Thomas Fenwick, Esq., South Hill, Durham. Mrs. Fitzheugh, 3, Stanhope Street, London. F. M. FlintofF, Esq. Benjamin Flounders, Esq., Yarm, Yorkshire. George Foljambe, Esq., Osberton Plane, Retford. George Townsend Fox, Esq., F. L. S., Durham. Rev. John Fox, D. D., Provost of Queen's College, Oxford. Rev. William Darwin Fox, Epperstohe, near Nottingham. Mrs. Fuller, Holcombe Cottage, Surrey. Right Hon. Earl Grey, Howick, Northumberland. Mrs. Galton, Lymington, Hampshire. Rev. Thomas Gibson, Tyrril Lodge, near Penrith, Cumberland. John Bevans Giles, Esq., London. Rev. Thomas Gisborne, M. A., F. L. S., Durham. Miss Godart, Newcastle. Mrs. Godfrey, Old Hall, Essex. John Gould, Esq., A. L. S., 19, Broad Street, Golden Square, London, 7 Copies. John Hatfield Gossip, Esq., Hatfield Hall, near Doncaster. John Gray, Jun., Esq., Wheatfield House, near Bolton-le-Moors. John Edward Gray, Esq., F. R. S., British Museum. Miss Grey, Castle Eden, Durham. Mrs. Gurney, Norwich, 2 Copies. Miss Gurney, Northrepps Cottage, Cromer. Joseph John Gurney, Esq., Norwich. Tansley Hall, Esq., Ely, Cambridge. Mr. Albany Hancock, Newcastle. Mr. John Hancock, Newcastle. Major-General Sir Thos. Hardwicke, F. R. S., F. L. S., M. Asiat. Soc, Lodge, South Lambeth. Thomas Emmerson Headlam, Esq., M. D. George Helsham, Esq., Woodbridge, Suffolk. Henry Hewitson, Esq., Seaton Burn House, near Newcastle. Mrs. Hewitson, Do., 2 Copies. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS Joshua Hewitson, Esq., Heckley House, Northumberland. Middleton Hewitson, Esq., Newcastle, 2 Copies. Mr. Middleton Hewitson, Junr., Kirkby Stephen, Westmorland. John Hey, Esq., Leeds, "Yorkshire. T. C. Heysham, Esq., Carlisle. John Hodgson, Esq., M. P., Elswick House, near Newcastle. Rev. J. Holmes, Gaudy Hall, Norfolk. Arthur Todd Holroyd, Esq., M. D., Harley Street, Cavendish Square, London. W. J. Hooker, Esq., L. L. D., F. R. S., R L. S., F. A. S., F. H. S., Regius Professor, Glasgow University. C. Hurt, Jun., Esq., Woxworth, Derbyshire. Mrs. Hutchinson, Sheriff Hill Cottage, near Newcastle. William Hutton, Esq., F, G. S., Newcastle. Sir William Jardine, Bart., F.R.S., Ed., F.L.S., Applegarth, Dumfries-shire. Edward James, Esq., Deckham Hall, near Newcastle. P. F. De Jersey, Esq., M. D., F. L. S., Romford. Benjamin Johnson, Esq., North Elswick, near Newcastle. Mrs. Kensington, New Bridge Street, London. Miss Kerrich. Edward Kerrich, Esq., Elmer, near Leatherhead, Surrey. John Kerrich, Esq., Geldston Hall, Norfolk. Rev. W. J. Kerrich, Paulsperry, 2 Copies. Hon. Mrs. Liddell, Eslington House, Northumberland. Joseph C. Lamb, Esq., Ryton House, near Newcastle. John Lambert, Esq., Alnwick, Northumberland. Richard Lambert, Esq., Newbrough House, Northumberland. Miss Laslie, Newcastle. M. De Cardonnel Lawson, Esq., Acton House, Northumberland. Mr. Benjamin Leadbeater, F.L. S., 19, Brewer Street, Golden Square, London. W. A. Leighton, Esq., Leighton Ville, Shrewsbury. R. Leyland, Esq., Halifax, Yorkshire. Robert Losh, Esq., Jesmond Grove, near Newcastle. F. Lumley, Esq., Tickhill Castle, near Bawtry, Yorkshire. Lady Milner, Nun. Appleton, near York. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. IK Manchester Natural History Society. Mrs. Markham. William Marshall, Esq., Newton Kyme, Yorkshire. John Martin, Esq., F. L. S., London. Jacob Maude, Esq., Selaby Park, Durham. John Morgan, Esq., F. L. S., 7, Broad Street Buildings, London. Thomas Meynell, Jun., Esq., Fryerage, Yarm, Yorkshire. Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society. Norfolk and Norwich Institution. Thomas Norris, Esq., Redvales, near Bury, Lancashire. Mrs. Orraston, Newcastle. C. C. Oxley, Esq., Ripon, Yorkshire. Shirley Palmer, M. D., Birmingham. Rev. Thomas Pearson, M. A., Fellow of Queen's College, Oxford. Joseph Pease, Esq., M. P., South End, Darlington, Durham. Miss Peters, Newcastle. Miss Pratt, Sedlescomb Rectory, Battle, Sussex. Rev. J. D. J. Preston, Askam, near York. Lady Ridley, Blagdon Hall, near Newcastle. The RadclifFe Library, Oxford. John Ramsay, Esq., M. D., Newcastle. William H. Rudston Read, Esq., Frickley Hall, near Doncaster. Mrs. Richmond, Ravensworth, near Newcastle. Right Hon. Lord Stanley, F. L. S., and F. H. S., President of the Linnaean and Zoological Societies. John D. Salmon, Esq., Stoke Ferry, Norfolk. Bryan John Salvin, Esq., Burn Hall, near Durham. William Thomas Salvin, Esq.. Croxdale Park, near Durham. R. B. Sanderson, Esq., West Jesmond, near Newcastle. George Selby, Esq., Middleton Hall, Northumberland. Prideaux John Selby, Esq., F.L.S., Twizell House, Northumberland. James Smith, Esq., Rector of the Grammar School of Banff, Scotland. J. F. South, Esq., F.L. S., 12, St. Thomas' Street, Southwark, London. John Spedding, Esq., Newcastle. Mr. Joseph Standish, 40, Kennington Lane, Lambeth, London. X LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. George Stephenson, Esq., Liverpool. Mrs. Steuart, Ewhurst, near Guilford, Surrey. William Stokoe, Esq., Hexham, Northumberland. N. C. Strickland, Esq., Lincoln College, Oxford. Rev. George Thackeray, D. D., Provost of King's College, Cam- bridge, 69, Wimpole Street, London. Rev. George Townsend, M. A., Durham. Walter Calverly Trevelyan, Esq., Wallington Hall, Northumberland Miss Tulip, Brunton House, near Newcastle. Samuel Tuke, Esq., York. Dawson Turner, Esq., M. A., F.R.S., F. A. S-, and F. H. S., M. R. I. A., Yarmouth. J. R. Turner, Esq-, Manchester. Rev- William Turner, Newcastle. Rev. Frederick Vane, M. A., Fellow of Queen's College, Oxford. N. A. Vigors, Esq., M. P., F. R. S., F. L. S., and F. G. S- Secretary to the Zoological Society, London. Mr. William Wailes, Newcastle. George Walker, Esq., East Wood, Nottingham. Simeon Warner, Esq., Blackheath. Godfrey Wentworth, Esq., WooleyPark, near Wakefield, Yorkshire Rev. Robert Meadows White, M. A., Fellow of Magdalen Col- lege, Oxford. Mrs. Whittear, Norwich. Allan Wilkie, Esq., Glen Allen, Northumberland. Mr. Williamson, Scarborough. Mr. R. R. Wingate, Newcastle. Henry Witham, Esq., F. G S., Lartington, Yorkshire. W. Wood, Esq., F. R. S., F. L. S., Strand, London, 2 Copies. Rev. Jacob George Wrench, D. C. L., F. S. A., Salehurst Vicar- age, Sussex. John Bowes Wright, Esq., Newcastle. William Yarrell, Esq., F. L. S., London. York Subscription Library. Yorkshire Philosophical Society. V.F.MAUDi:, .RECTORY, BVRWASII. INTRODUCTION An anxious wish to add a portion, however humble, to- wards the illustration of those glorious works from which I have myself derived such abundant pleasure, together with a desire to impart to others a portion of that pleasure, led to the production of the present work ; and however deficient in its accomplishment, should it be the means of turning the atten- tion of any one to this, or any other branch of Natural His- tory, my object will have been fully gained ; and I shall have the happiness of knowing, that I have been partly the means of adding many a bright hour to their lives ; feeling, as I do, firmly convinced, that next to those pleasures to be derived from religion, and the discharge of its various duties, there is no pursuit so calculated to impart pure sensations of pleasure, and to elevate the mind. There is not a pursuit which diffuses the same serenity over the feelings, which soothes us in the hour of trouble, and which, when other pleasures flit away, continues to afford undiminished enjoyment to the last. For my own part, that taste for Natural History which I have b enjoyed from the earliest recollection, has proved to me an inestimable blessing. To its influence I owe all the brighter hours of my life; whether, in the full enjoyment of health and happiness, I have trod the green fields, in the joyous spring, delighted with the early flowers, and the first song of the Sky Lark ; or have wandered as a school-boy through the woods, " to pull the flower so gay ;" or in the autumn of the year have traversed the heathery mountains, purpled o'er with blossoms, to watch the flight of the Moor Bird, and listen to the busy hum of a thousand bees; that taste has brightened every beautiful object in nature, and added a zest to every pleasure. If, on the other hand, any of the ills of life have been my lot; if [I have been "afflicted with any sorrow," then, in- deed, have I felt its influence alleviating every cause of un- happiness. It is with a satisfaction unalloyed by any unpleasant feel- ings, that the lover of nature looks back upon and retraces in his momory the many happy hours which he has spent in the pursuit of his favourite object. Never shall I forget the first dawning of a love for nature upon my mind, as its various beautiful objects came crowding upon my notice — " wonders yet to me ;" nor that strange feeling of delight which I have experienced from the capture of some long-chased butterfly, or the discovery of the nest of some then unknown bird. However unimportant in itself the branch of Natural His- tory which I have attempted to imitate, the beautiful and varied objects which compose it, are amongst the first to ex- cite the imagination, and call forth in boyhood those feelings, that love for nature, which is inherent in us all. And I would ask, who is there, however the cares or the pleasures of life may have blunted those earlier feelings, who has not one day derived pleasurable emotions from their contemplation, and who does not remember those joyous times when, at the first breaking loose from school, he has hied him to the wood and the hedge-row, in search of his painted prize ? Few can have failed to notice that wonderful and all-ab- sorbing feeling of anxiety, that utter disregard of self, which, during the breeding season, produces so remarkable a change in the nature of many of our birds : converting that wariness for which they are at other times remarkable, into the most heedless disregard of danger. Numerous anecdotes are related of the devotedness of the Partridge, and other species of birds, in the protection of their young. The Misletoe Thrush, usually so shy, seeks the immediate neighbourhood of our houses, during the season of incubation, rearing its young ones within sight of our windows, and spreading terror amongst the rest of the feathered race, by its pugnacious persecution of all intruders. A Kestel Hawk, belonging to a gentleman in Derby, whilst quietly seated upon an apple-tree, unconscious of harm, having excited the suspicions of a Misletoe Thrush, which had its nest near, received its death-blow from its bill, at a single pounce. I have before noticed the assiduity with which the Eider Duck covers its eggs ; and I have since had a further oppor- tunity of admiring it. Upon one of the Norwegian islands we visited, where they are very numerous, we were accompanied 4 by the keeper of the island, who seemed to have a personal and familiar acquaintance with each of his flock, pointing them out to us, and even stroking them on the back. Many of the smaller birds will allow themselves to be taken in the hand, rather than leave their nests. Some have been even known, upon having their young ones taken from them, to follow them into captivity. The obstinate perseverance with which the Blue Titmouse continues to rebuild its nest, although it has been time after time destroyed, is very remarkable ; and still more so the per- tinacity with which it continues to sit its eggs, in defiance of all intrusion; and to retain possession of the hole in which they were placed, sometimes for days after they have been taken from it. I am not prepared to argue the point, whether or not the ovarium of a bird is supplied, at its first creation, with the germs of all those eggs which it is to lay through life. Against this opinion may be stated, the number of eggs laid by the common Fowl, and other birds, in a state of domestication; but these are not fair examples, as they may have been ren- dered thus prolific, either by the mode of life to which we have subjected them, or by some peculiar organization. I have often observed upon the coast of those extensive breed- ing places of the sea birds, where the eggs are constantly plundered, numbers of the various species of Gulls, Oyster Catchers, and Sandpipers, which, though quite matured, were yet in flocks, and unemployed. These might be birds the ovariums of which were exhausted. Notwithstanding the numerous accounts we hear of the fecunditv of some of our smaller birds, I am much inclined to think that their powers of incubation are limited, and that the usual number of eggs only, (which it is allotted them to lay,) are sufficiently de- veloped to be brought to maturity at one time. Those birds, however, (which under ordinary circumstances would only breed once in a year,) have nevertheless, if deprived of their eggs, the power of producing, a short time afterwards, a second and even a third set ; but usually diminished in their numbers, as well as in their size. That the colouring of birds' eggs is an animal matter, and dependent upon the health of the bird, there can be little doubt. The day previous to their being produced, and after the shell has become hard, they are, in those birds which T have examined, pure white ; a large proportion of the colour is also easily rubbed off, for some time after they are laid. Thus we find in their eggs the same want of colour, which is also occasionally observable in the feathers of white varieties of birds. Fear, or any thing which may affect the animal functions, exerts its influence upon the colour also. The eggs of birds which I have captured on their nests, during the time that they were laying, and kept in close confinement, have thus been deprived of much of their colour. The colour of eggs, as well as their size, is dependent upon the age of the bird ; and during a few years after which it has first become capable of production, they increase in size and intensity of colour, till its arrival at full maturity. That the varied and beautiful hues which adorn the eggs of birds, are given them by the God of nature, as a protection firom their enemies, by resembling the various surfaces upon 6 which they are deposited, (as stated by M. Gloger, a German naturalist,) taken as a general rule, I am by no means ready to admit. On the other hand, I think I am prepared to show, that such precautions would be for the most part unnecessary and superfluous; and we never find nature thus wasting her resources. By far the most numerous class of birds are those which build in trees or bushes, and at an elevation from the ground; and the nest (which then forms the object of search and de- tection) being once discovered, further precaution to conceal the eggs would be of no avail; and on this account we find such an instinctive anxiety amongst the feathered race to conceal and protect the homes of their future offspring. I could quote a number of instances, any of which are sufii- cient to excite our wonder and admiration. Who has ever discovered the nest of the Common Wren, concealed and buried as it is amongst the same material of which it is itself constructed, without a feeling of pleasure and surprise? I have frequently seen it let into the hollow of some moss-clad stump, or so nicely woven into the side of a clover stack, when, had it not been for the small round hole of entrance, discovery would have been perfectly evaded. The nest of the Chaffinch is little less worthy of remark ; built upon the branch of some tree clothed with lichens, it is covered with the same material. I have before mentioned a beautiful instance, with regard to the Chaffinch; but as it illustrates so admirably that anxiety which birds evince for the concealment of their nests, I will repeat it here. A Chaf- finch had built its nest in my father's garden, in Newcastle ; and being unable, amongst the smoke and dirt of a town, to procure the white lichens which in its own green fields it had been accustomed to do, it substituted in their place small pieces of white paper. Those birds which, from the large size of their nests, are prevented from thus concealing them, have recourse to other means of protection. The Hawk, the Crow, and the Magpie, place theirs in places difficult of ac- cess ; the nest of the latter being defended besides by a roof of thorns, which are not easily penetrated. That there are several instances in which the eggs of birds are admirably adapted to and closely resemble in colour the ground upon which they are deposited, I have frequently found, much to my annoyance, when in search of them ; and these are just the instances where such protection is most necessary, and where contrasting colours would lead to their detection ; and amongst those birds which make little or no nest, depositing their eggs, for the most part, upon the bare ground, or the shingle of the sea beach, and leaving them un- covered on the least alarm. Of these are the Ring Dotterel, Oyster Catcher, the Sandpipers, Peewit, and the Terns, espe- cially the Lesser. Amongst the other ground builders, their protection consists in the careful and constant assiduity with which they are covered by the parent bird ; and more so in the adaptation of their feathers than their eggs, to the sur- rounding surface ; as the dull and very similar colouring of the females of nearly all the Duck tribe, of the hen Pheasant, and the Grey Heii, (Tetrao tetrix,) so strongly as they are contrasted too with the brighter colours of their mates, (which do not assist in incubation,) will illustrate most ,8 admirably. Were I to mention those })ir(ls, the eggs of which do not bear any resemblance to the surface on which they are deposited, I should have to enumerate much the greater por- tion of our British Birds. Who will say that there is any resemblance whatever in colour, between the clear blue eggs of the Thrush, and the mud-lined interior of its nest ? Neither do the bright blue eggs of the Hedge Sparrow bear much more resemblance to the nest. What likeness do the eggs of the Swans, the Geese, the Harriers, and the numerous species of Ducks, (all white, or nearly so) bear to the ground upon which they are placed ? and why, if their colours are intended for their concealment, are eggs so entirely different in that respect, placed in situations perfectly alike ? It may be asked, for what purpose then arc these beautiful colours lavished so abundantly ? For the same purpose for which they adorn the plumes of the Humming-bird, or the wing of the resplendent butterfly — to gladden our eyes, " To minister doliglit to man, to beautify the earth." And thus it is that the eggs of nearly all those birds (the Owl, Kingfisher, Bee-cater, Holler, Nuthatch, and the Woodpeckers,) which conceal them in holes, are white, because in such situations colour would bo displayed to no purpose. Tlie number of eggs laid by various tribes of birds, as well as the different genera of the same family, vary much. The more typical species of these are, however, for the most part nearly alike in this respect. In every instance we shall find the same beneficent influence acting for our welfare ; increas- ing rapidly, by the number of their eggs, those species which are of the greatest use to us, and bestowing upon those inteuiled for our more iiniueiliato UHietit, a most woiuleHuI ^nnvor of ovoproduction ; aud at iho same time curlailinj; in iheir numbers those species which, in their greater inon\»st\ would soon become injurious to us. Mi^t of the Kasores, which, jis game, form so agreeable an addition to our table, as well as tlie Duck tribe, lay numerous eggs. The Warblers and the various s^HJcies of Titmice, which render us such essentiid service, in the destruction of the numer^nis instHTts which would otherwise beoiune a nuisiu\ce. art> unusually prolific. In their relative sizes, the eggs of birds diflex in a remark- able degree fnnu each other, as I have sliown, whew describing those of the Guillemot; and this will bo seen by the compari- son of a few species. The Cuiilleuiot and tljc U,\\ t>n uv them- selves of about equal size ; tlieir eggs ditVer as ten to one. The Snipe and the Blackbinl differ but slightly in weight ; their eggs remiukably. The egg of tlio Curlew is six or eight times as large as tliat of tlio Rook ; the birds are of about tlu> Siuue size. The eggs of the Guillemot are as big tui Uiose of jui Eagle ; whilst tliose of the Snipe equal tl»e eggs of tl»e Pju- tridgo and tlie l*igeon. The reason of tliis grt>at disparity in size is, however, obvious : Uje eggs of all those binls which quit the nest soon after they are hatched, and which are con- sequently more fully developed at their birth, aji> very large, ftiul yet so admirably formed to occupy \\\c least possible space, tliat the Snipe has no mort» dilliculty in covering its eggs, tliough apparently so disproportionate, than the Tlirush or the Blackbird. As I have elsewhere remarked, nnich useful and highly c 110 interesting information might be gained towards the classifi- cation of birds, by paying some attention to their eggs ; and it is very gratifying to find, in thus regarding them, that, with the exception of a few instances, were we to take the eggs of our British birds as our only guide, we should arrive at the best and most approved arrangement of the different genera. All those new genera which have been lately adopted, are clearly indicated in the difference of their eggs, and in none more than in those of the Snow Bunting and the Bearded Titmouse ; the former of which was associated with the genus Emberiza, the latter with that of Parus ; the very great simi- larity which the eggs of each of these genera (Emberiza and Parus) bear to each other, at once pointing out the intruders. T would not, however, have any one place too implicit reliance on their eggs, for the arrangement of the birds. There are puzzling instances in which, by so doing, we should be led into error, and be tempted to place apart from each other the eggs of the Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, the Common and Tythis Redstarts, and to separate those of the Common and Misletoe Thrush from the rest of the genus, the Swallow from the Martin and the Swift, the Little Bittern from the more common species, and the Woodcock from the Snipe ; and placing too much reliance upon those minute differences which serve so beautifully to connect and represent neigh- bouring genera, we should be led into a similar mistake with regard to the eggs of the Pied Wagtail, the Grasshopper Warbler, the Wood Wren, and the Wheatear. The generic characters of eggs are in some cases as dis- tinctly marked in contour and in colour as are the birds 11 themselves. Any one would immediately recognize the close affinity which those of the different species of Crows bear to each other, as also those of the Owls, the Ducks, the Divers, the Buntings, the Titmice, the Sea Gulls, and the Terns, (greatly as the latter differ individually). In shape, the eggs of the Grebes are very peculiar, as are those of the more typical waders. This affinity is not confined to genera only, but may be traced, more or less, in most of the families, and is very remarkable throughout the Scolopacidae, in colour, shape, and number. The eggs are, with one exception only, much pointed at the smaller end, and are invariably four in number. There is too, in many genera, a beautiful analogical resem- blance with others nearly allied to them. The Eagles and Hawk tribe (nearly all of which breed aloft,) approach in their habits of breeding on the ground and the colour of their eggs, by the genus Circus, that section of the Owls which is the most Hawk-like, the species of which (departing from the habits of the rest of the family) breed also upon the ground. The eggs of the following genera, Corvus, Fregilus, Pica, and Garrulus, are all closely allied, as are those of the Roller, Merops, and Alcedo. Eggs are subject to much variety, and are not without those apparent discrepancies which beset the study of other branches of Natural History, and which are only to be reconciled by oft-repeated observation, and by combining with their study a knowledge of the nests in which they are found. And thus, as regards the different species of a genus, although the eggs of some of the Thrushes usually bear but slight resemblance ]2 to each other, we shall find upon a closer acquaintance with them, that there are other connecting links. The nests of all the species are much alike, each being strongly cemented with clay ; and much as the eggs of the Common Thrush and the Blackbird appear to diflfer at first sight, they nevertheless run imperceptibly into each other, in some of their varieties. I have seen eggs of both species, of a clear spotless blue. My friend Mr. Doubleday, one year found several nests of the Blackbird, at Epping, in one locality, the eggs of which were all of this description ; a variety perpetuated, probably, through the several individuals of one family. No one who has seen the nests of the Swallow and the House Martin, (resembling each other as much as they difier from those of all other genera,) will need to be told that they are closely allied, much as the eggs difier in colour. With regard to birds of the same species, although the eggs of most of them are subject to more or less variety, some are constant, or nearly so, in their colouring, whilst others display an almost unceasing variety. Amongst the former, are those chiefly of one colour, to which may be added a few others, which seldom vary much. These are the Kite, Golden Oriole, Lesser Whitethroat, the various species of Titmice, Reed Bunting, Goldfinch, and Black Grouse. The eggs, on the other hand, which are subject to the greatest variety, are those of the Water Birds, the Gulls, Terns, Guillemots, &c. ; and of the land birds, the Red Grouse, the Rook and Carrion Crow, Yellow Bunting, and House Sparrow, and above all, the Tree Pipit. There is, notwith- standing, in all these a character, by which a little experience 13 will for the most part enable us tu determine the species ; and though we might not readily believe the eggs of the Tree Pipit to belong to the same species, we shall have no difficulty in referring them to the right genus. In places where those materials are to be met with which instinct has taught individuals of the same species of bird to make use of in the construction of their nests, we shall usually find the same adopted. I know of no other bird which seems 80 much to consult its own taste in this respect, as the Com- mon Wren. The materials of its nest are as different as the situations in which it is placed. It may be found built en- tirely of clover, and in places where moss is abundant ; its interior is also formed according to the taste of the owner, and is as often found without any lining at all, as it is thickly lined w'ith feathers. There are many instances in which circumstances have led to a deviation from the usual habit. Those Eagles and Hooded Crows inhabiting the Shetland Islands, which would build their nests of sticks, were such materials to be had, are there compelled to substitute the larger species of sea weed. A Carrion Crow which resorted to the Fern Islands to breed, for the same reason, (the absence of sticks) made its nest in a hole in the ground, surrounding it, to give it sufficient depth, with a wall of sods. There are a few deviations from the usual instinct, which, not being influenced by local causes, are very remarkable ; and in no instance which has come under my notice, more so than in the nest of a Blackbird, sent me by my friend, the Rev. W. D. Fox, which is lined with black hair, instead of its usual composition, dry grass; the same circumstance having occurred several years in succession. With regard to the situation of their nests, birds seem to be left much more at the disposal of their own choice, and adapt them with surprising skill, to places apparently most unsuit- able. Some species, leaving their natural mode of life, and their own wild haunts, have adapted their habits to our own, and being to a certain extent domesticated, have become our confiding friends and delightful companions. For us the Swift, the Martin, and the Swallow, once the inhabitants of the inland rocks and lonely sea cliffs of our coast, are now the voluntary inmates of our dwellings, cheering us with their cheerful notes and elegant motions. The shy Hawk, the wily Eaven, and the midnight Owl, leaving their native woods, have built their nests in the towers and steeples of our towns and cities. The Magpies too, which with us are so suspicious of wrong, build their nests under the eaves of the Norwegian cottages. Numerous instances might be given, in which birds have chosen the most strange and singular situations for their nests, adapting them as though reason was their guide. The most remarkable on record is that of the Rooks, which, for ten successive years, built their nest upon the vane at the top of the Newcastle Exchange, revolving with every change of wind. The House Sparrow, the nest of which, when built in trees, is large and carefully arched over, dispenses with the labour of constructing its own roof, by placing it under the eaves of our dwellings. I am unwilling to close the present work, and to take leave of my subscribers generally, without expressing my thanks for 15 the kind feeling which they have evinced towards me, and more especially those who have so greatly contributed to the following pages : — to William Yarrell, J. D. Hoy, Henry Doubleday, J. D. Salmon, the Rev. W. D. Fox, P. J. Selby, and J. Hancock, I would express the best thanks this ac- knowledgment can convey. To some of those subscribers, (endowed with a kindred feeling for the beauties of nature,) whose friendship I greatly value, 1 shall ever look with plea- sure on these illustrations, as having formed the medium of introduction. Of many defects I am very sensible, and have to regret errors into which I have fallen, from my inattention to modem nomenclature. Previous to the commencement of the work, every leisure hour had been spent in the fields ; and my at- tachment to the confined system of Linnaeus, then led to its adoption ; in my progress, however, as the necessity of a more extended arrangement became apparent, it has been gradually adopted. This has led to a want of unison on the whole, which I much regret ; but which I have endeavoured, in part, to obvi- ate, by an index, containing the modem names, where previ- ously omitted. For the length of time which has elapsed since the first commencement of the work, my best apology is the number of rare and hitherto unknown eggs, which the ex- ertions of those ardent in the pursuit of Natural History have enabled me to figure. I have still, however, to regret the omission of the eggs of numerous species, which are yet desiderata to the cabinets of this country, part of which I trust at some future period to procure. INTRODUCTION. I HAVE much pleasure in being able to add fifteen new eggs to those of 229 species before figured. For these I am altogether indebted to the kindness of those friends, whose assiduity in the pursuit of Natural History has enabled them to add so many rarities to their collections : to them I must again tender my best thanks, which I do most sincerely, for the liberality and kindness with which they have transmitted to me from a distance, things so fragile, and at the same time so rare and difficult to obtain. Since the publication of the former part of my work, I have — with all those who may take an interest in the sub- ject — to lament the death of Mr, Hoy, who was one of our most arduous and indefatigable collectors, and to whose ex- ertions — as the oft-repeated mention of his name through- out its pages will testify — my work has owed so much. I am sorry that with regard to the eggs now figured — with the exception of that of the Redwing — I have no in- formation to offer from personal observation. They are most of them eggs of birds which have never yet been de- tected breeding in this country. For the little I have given I am indebted to the pages of others, and chiefly to those of Mr. Yarrell's book, which is a rich store of our ornithological knowledge up to the present day. Finding from the complaints of some of the subscribers to my work, to whom the scientific names of our birds are not familiar, that I have committed an oversight in not giving an index of their English names, I have now added one, which may be pasted into the respective volumes. SYSTEMATIC INDEX. VOL. I. ORDER I.— RAPTORES, OR BIRDS OF PREY. FAMILY, FALCONID^. Eggj round or uearly so ; from three to five in nnmber. No. of Plate. Nomenclature used in Britxth Oology. Nomenclature to be tuhttituted. XXVI. XLV. CXLVI. LXII. XXVII. CXXII. cxxvm. XXIV. CXXXII. CXVII. CXL. LXXXVI. LXXXII. LXXVIII. Falco chrysoetos Falco albicilla Falco halioeetus Falco Islandicus Falco peregrinus Falco tinnuiiculus Falco subbuteo Falco ae.«alon Falco nisus Falco palumbarius Milvus vulgaris Pernis apivorus Buteo vulgaris Circus aeruginosus Circus cineracius Circus cyaneus Aqtiila chrysoeta albicilla Pandion halioeetus Accipiter fringillarius Astur palumbarius Circus hyemalis FAMILY, STRIGIDJE. XX. VII. CVII. CXXXVI. Strix otus Strix brachyotus Strix flammea Strix stridula Strix bubo Strix scops Strix Tegmalmi Strix passerina Otus vulgaris brachyotus Ulula stridula Bubo maximus Scops Aldrovandi Noctua Tegmalmi passerina ORDER II.— INCESSORES, OR PERCHING BIRDS. TRIBE, DENTIROSTRES.— /'jlAf/iy, LAMIADM. Eggs nearly always four or five ia number.— Sometimes numerous. No. of Plate. Nomenclature used inBritish Oology. Nomenclature to be substituted. CVIII. II. Lanius excubitor rufus coUurio FAMILY, MERVLIDM. VI LVIII. LXXII. XIII. Turdus musicus viscivorus merula pilaris torquatus Cinclus aquaticus Oriolus galbula XXII. xc. ex. LXX. XLII. CXVI. CXLVII. CXVIII. cxv. LXXXVII. LXXVI. CXXXIII. LXXXI. cv. FAMILY, SYLVIADJi. Saxicola rubicola ■ Tubetra cenantbe Philomela luscinia Erythaca rubecula Phcenicura ruticilla • tythis ■ Suecica Salicaria arundinacca phragmitis locustella Curruca hortensis atricapilla sylviella cinerea Melizophilus provincialis Sylvia hippolais sibilatrix trocbilus Regulus auricapillus ignicapillus Parus coeruleus palustris caudatus cri status major ater biarmicus Accentor modularis ■ alpinus r Sylvi Sylvia rufa Calamophilus biarmicus No. of Plate. iVoinenclatun- twd in /Iritiah Ooloyi/. Noinenclature to he substituted. Motacilla Yarrellii LIX. CXXXV. LXVIII. CXIV. Motacilla alba boarula flava neglecta Anthus aquaticus pratensis arboreus FAMILY, .MUSCICAPIDjE. VIII. f Muscicapa luctuosa \ grisola TRIBE, CONIROSTRES.-F>i;if//.y, CORVIDJE. LXIX. XCI. XCVII. LXXI. XLIV. LXV. CXII. Corvus corax corone comix frugilegus moiiedula Pica caudata Fregilus graculus Garrulus glandarius IX. FAMILY, STURNIDJE. Sturnus vulgaris FAMILY, FRINGILLIDjE. CXXXIV. XLIII. XVI. CXXXVII. Loxia curvirostra Pyrrhula vulgaris Coccothraustes vulgaris Fringilla chloris coelebs Carduelis elegans Coccothraustes chloris XCVI. XLI. III. CXXVI. XI. CXXXIX. Linaria cannabina montana Passer domesticus montanus Emberiza miliaria citrinella schoenicuius hortulana cirlus ■ nivalis Alauda arvensis — — arborea Plectrophanes nivalis TRIBE, SCANSORES.— ii:jlM//.r, PICID^. No. of Plate. xcv. Nomenclature used in British Oology. Picus major viridis minor Yunx torquilla XLIX. CLIV. FAMILY, CEBTHIADjE. Sitta europoea Certhia familiaris Troglodytes europoeus LV. CXLIX. CXI. CXIII. X. FAMILY, CUCULIDM. Cuculus canorus Coccyzus Americanus TRIBE, TENUIROSTRES. Upupa epops TRIBE, FISSIROSTRES.— -FilM/ir, MEROPIDJE. Coracias garrula Merops apiaster XXI. XIV. XXX. FAMILY, HALCYONIDM. Alcedo ispida FAMILY, HIBXJNDINIDM. Hirundo rustica urbica riparia Cypselus murarius FAMILY, CAPRIMULGIDM. Caprimulgus oeuropeus VOL. 1. Imlex to llir Englis/i Naiiirs itf JUrds hi (he order in wliich theif are urrauged PLATE. P1.ATE. PLATE. 26 Golden Eagle 110 Blue-throated Red- 9 Starling 45 White-tailed Eagle start 135 Crossbill 146 Ospiey 70 Reed Warbler 43 Grosbeak — Gyr Falcon — Sedge Warbler 16 Green Linnet ()2 Peregrine Falcon — Grasshopper Warbler — Chaflincli 27 Kestril 42 Greater Pettychaps 137 Goldfinch 122 Hobby — Black-cap 9i^ Grey Linnet 128 Merlin — Lesser White-throat — Mountain Linnet 24 Sparrow Hawk 116 White-throat — Lesser Redpole 132 Goshawk 147 Dartford Warbler 41 House Sparrow 117 Kite 118 Chiff-chaff — Tree Sparrow 140 Honey Buzzard — Yellow Willow Wren 3 Yellow Bunting 86 Common Buzzard 115 Willow Wren - Common Bunting 82- Moor Buzzard 87 Golden-crested Wren - Black-headed Bunt- — Ash-coloured Harrier — Fire-crested Wren ing 78 Hen HaiTier 76 Blue Titmouse 126 Ortolan Bunting 20 Long-eared Owl — Marsh Titmouse 1 1 Cirl Bunting — Short-eared Owl — Long-tailed Titmouse — Snow Bunting 7 White Owl 133 Crested Titmouse 139 Sky Lark - Wood Owl 81 Greater Titmouse — Wood Lark 107 Eagle Owl — Cole Titmouse 95 Green Woodpecker — Scops-eared Owl — Bearded Titmouse — Great Spotted Wood. — Tengmalm's Owl 105 Hedge Sparrow pecker 136 Little Owl — Alpine Accentor — Lesser Spotted Wood 108 Great Shrike 59 Pied Wagtail pecker — Wood Chat — Grey Wagtail — Wryneck 2 Red-backed Shrike — Yellow Wagtail 49 Nuthatch 6 Thrush 134 Grey-headed Yellow — Creeper - Blackbird Wagtail 154 Common Wren - Missel Thrush 68 Rock Lark 55 Cuckoo 58 Fieldfare — Tit Lark 149 American Cuckoo — Ring Ouzel 114 Tree Pipit 111 Hoopoe 72 Water Ouzel 8 Pied Flycatcher 113 Roller 13 Golden Oriole - Spotted Flycatcher 10 Kingfisher 22 Stone Chat 69 Raven — Bee-eater — Whin Chat 91 Carrion Crow 21 Swallow — White Rump 97 Hooded Crow 14 Martin 90 Nightingale 71 Rook — Sand Martin — Redbreast 44 Jackdaw — Swift 110 Redstart [start 6o Magpie 30 Night Hawk - Tythis or Black Rcd- 112 Coruish Chough l-i ZXVI I'/raif.: Mrro.'if i?i» h: i,.v/r-" ./.■.£»«. XLV. FALCO ALBICILLA. (linn.) White-tailed Eagle, Sea Eagle. The Sea Eagle is more numerous than the Golden Eagle and breeds like it in the most inaccessible rocks of Orkney, Shetland, and the Highlands of Scotland. Latham also men- tions an instance of its breeding in the north of England, near Keswick, in Cumberland, communicated to him by Dr. Hey- sham. The nest is usually formed of a large quantity of sticks, but in Shetland, where no such materials are to be met with, they have substituted in their place those long foot-stalks of the larger sea-weeds, by which they are attached to the rocks ; and so pliable are these, and so well do they seem to answer the purpose, that I should much doubt whether a Shetland Eagle, having his choice of both, would ever have recourse to the more commonly used material ; the nest is lined with dry grass, wool, and any such soft substance ; the eggs are two, and sometimes three, or probably even four in number. The few specimens which I have examined are either altogether spotless or like the plate very faintly marked. I think it most probable that some will be found much more boldly spotted. CXL-^I ^r.^-Nii 'ir. ,SI,>..n.'- 'vy - ' .■•AViWam Jjay fcHa^eL-Ltif '-tfl xhe. •j;ui£en- CXLVI. FALCO IlALiaiETUS. OspREV, Fish Hawk. Specimens of tho eggs of the C)sprey, kindly K<'nt mo from the collections of Sir William Jurdine and Mr. Yarn;ll, although very similar in colour, difl(;r considerably in shape ; one of them possessing the roundness which marks the eggs of the Raptores, whilst the other is considerably more lengthened, and of a form, which would appear from Wilson, to be characteristic of this species. A note, accompanying the specimen from Sir W. J ardine,"states, that it was pro- cured from Loch Mentcith in Perthshire, a favourite station with the bird. Mr. Selby mentions his having seen the Osprcy on Loch Awe, " where an eyrie is annually esta- blished upon the ruins of a castle near the southern extremity of the lake, and another in a similar situation nearly opposite the egress of the river Awe." For a further account of this species, now so rarely to be observed at home, I have had recourse to the faithful descriptions of Wilson, whose oppor- tunities of observing it were so frequent. " The nest of the Fish-Hawk is usually built on the top of a dead or decaying tree, sometimes not more than fifteen, often upwiurds of fifty feet from the ground. It has been re- marked by the people of the sea coast, that the most thriving tree will die in a few years after being taken possession of by the fish-hawk. This is attributed to the fish oil, and to the excrements of the bird, but is more probably occasioned by the large heap of wet salt materials of which the nest is composed. In my late excursion to the sea shore, I ascend- ed to several of these nests that hud been built in from year to year, and found them constructed as follows : --Externally, large sticks from half an inch to an inch and a half in diame- ter, and two or tJiroe foet in length, piled to the height of four or five feet, and from two to three feet in breadth ; these were intermixed with corn-stalks, sea-weed, pieces of wet turf, in large quantities, and lined with dry sea-grass ; the whole forming a mass observable at half a mile's distance, and large enough to fill a cart. About the first of May, the female begins to lay her eggs, which are commonly three in number, sometimes only two, rarely four."' — Fig. 1. FALCO ISLANDICUS. (latiiam.) Gyr Falcon. Two eggs of this rare bird are in the collection of Mr. Yarrell, by whom they have been kindly forwarded to me. They are the only specimens I have heard of, with the exception of one in the museum at Leyden, a drawing of which was, with the greatest kindness, sent me by Professor Temminck, through the instrumentality of Mr. Hoy. The Jer Falcon breeds in rocks, in those countries, which are rendered difficult of access, from the severity of their climate. We were not so fortunate as to meet with it in Norway, although w^e were told, that had our time permitted, w'e might have done so, by penetrating, for some days' journey, into that part of the country which was covered with snow. xsir. on. 5 1 oTLC ^y W . Hfwits an - LXII. FALCO PEREGHINUS. (linn.) Peregrine Falcon. The Peregrine Falcon is, I fear, like the rest of this no- ble tribe of birds, daily drawing nearer to its total extinction in this country. It is now only to be met with in those places which are inaccessible to, or unvisited by, its extermi- nating enemy, the gamekeeper. Its resort during the breed- ing season is in those lofty and steep rocks which occur most frequently upon the sea coast, upon the ledges of which it makes but a slight nest, of a few sticks or coarse grass, and lays four or five eggs, resembling those represented in the plate, differing only from the figures there given, in being sometimes rather smaller and of a lighter colour. For the egg drawn at Fig. 1, a variety showing more of the light ground-colour than is often seen, I am indebted to the Hon. Mrs. Liddell ; the other was very kindly sent me by James Smith, Esq., rector of the Grammar School of Banff, together with one very much lighter, and having all the appearance of having been laid before it had received its final colouring. These were taken, towards the end of April, from the fine cliffs which bound the Murray Firth, there being no nest whatever. The Rev. W. D. Fox informs me, that a pair of these birds have frequented the rocks of the Isle of Wight, and although annually plundered of their eggs, or young ones, have, for many successive years, returned to the same spot ; and, what is more remarkable, although one of the sexe?; has been sometimes shot, the remaining bird has never failed to bring with it a mate the following s[)ring. .yt;i .rni.rMonSbrr'**y *' :' S»nU-.VK fhnUd hi ;'j5iexrk.3i.^a£, iJ-tH" td TJiB.Iiiig. CXXVIIl. FAI-CO KSALON. (Tkmm. Mehlin. The eggs of the Mcrliii, as far as any notice occuis of their detection in this country, haA e been found deposited upon the heath of the extensive moors of the North. Teraminck however says, that the Merlin breeds in trees, and this I think is most hkely the case, in those districts which aboimd in wood. The eggs too, are like those of the tree, or rock -building Hawks. Whilst in Norway, we had the eggs of a Hawk brought to us, which had been taken from a tree, and which, I have not the least doubt, were those of the Merlin, corresponding exactly with Fig. 1 of the Plate, both in size and colour, being less than those of the Kestrel, to which they bear the nearest resemblance. We also noticed a pair of these birds, in a thick part of the forest, which, during our stay in their neighboiu:hood, evinced all that solicitude, which birds do on your approach to their nests. The eggs are fom* or five in number, and are usually very similar to Fig. 1 of the Plate, but sometimes less suffused with colour throughout. Fig. 2 is a scarce and very beautiful variety, for which I am indebted to the collection of Mr. John Hancock, of Newcastle. Fig. 3 is also rarely to be met with. The variety mentioned by Mr. Selby, " bluish white marked with brown spots, principally at the larger end," I have never seen. XilV Drwwm arf intone/ ia IV C //etntj-cni J^Khdj iv CJ£dcmcauXt XXIV. FALCO NISUS. (linn.) SpARROM'-HAM'K. The Sparrow-hawk breeds in rocky precipices and trees, taking possession of the deserted nest of a Crow or Magpie ; whether or not it occasionally builds one for itself, I cannot, from my own experience, state. Mr. Selby says it does, " in low trees or thorn bushes, forming a shallow and flat nest, composed of slender twigs, and very similar to that of the Ring Dove, but rather larger." It lays four or five eggs, usually with the blotches of Figure 1 at the larger end, though they are frequently reversed, being upon the smaller end more often, in this species, than any I know ; this may be owing to the roundness of the eggs, it being difficult in some specimens to distinguish one end from the other ; the spotting of Fig. 2 is less frequent. I have some, upon which the markings are very faint. CXSXIL. !b:a.-wn on St'm-e-lj'W'^ TT»-vat:S(HL 3a-y HJIaLjlaje Jatk?'.* to thtt.lSiig, CXXXII. I'AI.CO PAIAJMI5AKIUS. (loSIlAWK. Mn. Low in his Fauna Orcadcnsis, says, that the Goshawk is rather common there, breeding in the rocks of tlie sea-coast. Whatever may have l)een its numbers then, it is not now to be met with, either in Orkney, or the adjacent isk-s of Shetland. The Peregiine Falcon may sometimes be seen there, and I strongly suspect that it is the Goshawk of Mr. Low. The Goshawk breeds in the forests of Holland, Germany, and various parts of the Continent, and Mr. Hoy informs me, builds its own nest, and if undisturbed in its possession, will i'requently occupy it for several years, making the necessary repairs. It is placed in some high tree, on the outskirts of the forest, and is rarely found in the interior, except in those ]5arts \\hich are open and free frojn timber. The eggs are three or four, and are frequently hatched by the middle of May, they are described by Mr. Selby " as marked with spots and streaks of reddish brown." That this is frequently the case, I have no doubt ; the specimen from which the drawing was made, and the only one which I have had an opportunity of seeing, is without any marking. It is from the collection of Mr. Yarrcll. CXYH >^ Oji. &omeijj-"'fr C Keva'tscai iax 0*glifi..lith?^ to liie'£xLg . CXVII. MILVUS VULGARIS. (Ff.em.) KiTK OR (JlEAD. The Kite appears to be from choice rather local, whether so or not, it is now, in England, confined to a few of the larger woods and the wilder districts of Westmoreland: it is not uncommon in some parts of Wales and Scotland, and according to Mr. Selby, is plentiful in Aberdeenshire — it occurs in the vicinity of Loch Katterine, and I have seen it soaring aloft above the beautiful banks of Loch Awe. The nest, which is built in extensive woods, is placed in the fork of a large tree, and is composed of sticks, lined with wool, fur, and other soft materials. The eggs which it will be seen by the plate, resemble those of the Common Buzzard, are not, (as far as I have had an opportunity of seeing them,) subject to much variety ; one in the collection of the Rev. W. D. Fox, is singulaily spotted with minute dots and waved linear marks : they are commonly three in number, and Mr. Selby tells us are some- times spotless. CXi liXixynL ijii.5±mit Jjy^^ C 3e Tnisiix IiaLy ^jraLihsZitia^^tothelin^. CXL. PERNIS APIVORUS. (Cuvii:k.) Honey Blz/.\ui». A MUCH gi'eater proportion of this species, have of late years been noticed as visitors of our Island, than had been, for some time previously, recorded. Many have occurred in various parts of England, and amongst several instances of its appearance in Northumber- land, my friend Mr. John Hancock obtained a fine fresh specimen, picked up dead upon the sea shore. It seems however to have been more numerous years ago. Willoughby mentions its nest, and White thus refers to one at Selbome. " A pair of Honey Buzzards built them a large shallow nest, composed of twigs, and hned with dead beechen leaves, upon a tall slender beech, near the middle of Selbome Hanger, in the summer of 1780. In the middle of the month of June, a bold boy climbed the tree and brought doAATi the egg, the only one in the nest, which had been sat upon for some time, and contained the embiyo of a young bird." The Honey Buzzard breeds in lofty trees, apparently preferring those which are beech. The eggs are two or three, and judging from specimens I have seen, forwarded to me from the cabinets of my kind friends Mr. Yan-ell, and Mr. Doubleday, are coloiu-ed in a way which, though at once showing their relationship to others of the family, is nevertheless very peculiar and characteristic of this species. The arrangement of the coloming is much more artificial in its appeaiance than of any other egg I know, and being profusely supplied, is in some specimens either smeared over the surface or rubbed off. LXffivT. Bm-wik 'm Stoiis-iy'WC.aewit* o l^ay&ffAgheJJlhf.^toOie. LXXXM. HI'TKO VIJLGAKIS. (fi.rm.) Common Buzzard. The Common Buzzard is now, liki- all our larger birds of prey, driven to seek shelter in a few of the more extensive woods, far from which it is rarely seen ; its nest is built in trees, of sticks, lined with a quantity of wool, fur, and such like materials ; its eggs, which are three or four in numbei, vary much according to the age of the bird, being sometimes entirely spotless. The beautifully marked one, here figured, is from the collection of Mr. R. R. Wingate, who had {he eggs brought him from the same place for some years, and, no doubt, the produce of the same bird ; the first year they were white, or nearly so, the second, slightly marked with a dirty indistinct yellowish brown, increasing each year in in- tensity, till they assumed the beautiful colouring of the Plate ; the spots are mostly larger and lighter, and the sur- face of the egg is smeared here and there with indistinct co- lourinir. LXXiTl 'S^Jp;-- ~'-'»\5a^S5?»«'' DrA-rcoij^A* C B>-rawttcm Stone WTT.C 'HeTOtscrii. Jaj-fcHa^lattf? t.iOieTTin^. CXXWI. STRIX PASSKIUNA. (I, inn.) Ln'Tr.i; Owi.. So little is at ])rcsont known re^ardiiiu; the habits of the different species of Owls, which are only j)erio(lical and rare visitors to our shores, that I feel much indebted to Mr. Hoy for the following information regarding the present species, as well as for specimens of its eggs. The Little Owl is like the rest of the family, an early breeder. It not unfrequently makes its nest in the holes of trees ; old ruins, however, and the towers of churches, are its favourite resort. It appears to be of a quarrelsome disposition, two pairs being rarely met mth as near neighboiurs, during the breeding season. The male commences hooting in January, if the weather is mild, and may be heard at intervals during the night, throughout the whole season. The eggs are generally four, sometimes five, and vary a little in size, as well as in contour. The Little Owl makes no nest, although an acciunulation of rubbish, arising from its castings, may be frequently found in the hole, which is often made use of, for a long time previous to incubation. cmji. 'Mi. Oii-Stuiie- lij'W C HcTvitsim- 1) <»-y feiight Lite* to the Xm g CVIII. LANIUS EXCUBITOK. (Linn.) Great Shrike, Butcher Bird. The eggs of the three species of Shrike, differing as they do greatly from those of other birds, bear a very close aud beautiful resemblance to each other. Like the Red Backed Shrike this species builds its nest in thick bushes aud high hedges ; it is large, and composed of umbelliferous plants, roots, moss, and wool, lined with finer roots and dry grass. The eggs are four or five, and it is said, sometimes six or seven in number. Those which I have seen differ but slightly from each other in colour and mark- ings, and do not present the very beautifully spotted varieties of the eggs of the Red Backed Shrike. To the liberality of my friend, Mr. H. Doubleday, T am indebted for specimens of the eggs of this and the following species ; also for the loan of others to Mr. Yarrell, and Mr. Scales, of Norfolk. LANIUS RUFUS. (Briss.) WOODCHAT. The right of the Woodchat to a place in the list of the birds of our islands, though considered by many as doubtful, is however established upon good authority, as mentioned by Mr. Selby. Of its nidification we have no satisfactory ac- count. The eggs which I have seen bear a near resemblance to each other. To Mr. Leadbeater I am indebted for the specimen firom which my drawing is made. Plate CVIII. Fig. 2. TL J)mrfn,an'^tmnhi''(y.C.HtmitsCTo . II. LANIUS COLLURIO. (linn.) Red-Backed Shrike, or Butcher Bird. The nest of this bird is generally built in a thorn hedge or bush ; it is large, and composed of coarse materials : the outside is formed of the stalks of umbelliferous plants, succeeded by moss and fine grass, with a small portion of wool, and is lined with tender roots, interspersed with a few haire ; the eggs, four or five in number, are beautifully varied in colour and marking, as shown in the accompanying plate. I possess one with the spots round the narrow end. The name given to this bird is very appropriate; its butchering propensities have been doubted by some ; I once^ however, had the opportunity of being a witness to them. Seeing one busy in a hedge, I found, upon approaching it, a small bird (on which it had been operating,) firmly fixed upon so blunt a thorn that it must have required consider- able force: its head was torn off, and the body entirely plucked. "VI _Dra.wn' im'Sioiu iu W G fft,vii/^/ . VI. TURDIS MUSICUS. (linn.) Thrush, Throstle, Grey Bird, &c. The nest of the Thrush is composed of moss and dry grass, with the addition of a few sticks, straw, and roots, cemented together in the inside by a composition of clay and rotten wood. With Mr. Jennings, I am much inclined to think, that cow-dung is rarely if ever used ; he also excludes clay, and says, " I am led to this conclusion by the lightness of the nest ; the Blackbird's is much heavier, in consequence of being clayed,'" This may be very easily accounted for. The plaster used by the Blackbird is in much greater quantities, and is of mud only, and is scarcely ever quite dry. That used by the Thrush, on the other hand, is in small quantities, is exposed to the atmosphere and the absorption of the rot- ten wood, and becomes so perfectly hard and dry as to be water-tight. I have known the bird deterred several days from laying its eggs, in consequence of the nest being half full of water. I this spring found some that had particles of reeds and thistle-down in lieu of wood. The situations chosen to contain these materials are ex- tremely variable. Thick bushes, evergreens, dead fences, tall whins, brambles, wall-fruit trees, &c. In the latter, I have seen one against a house, close under the window of the second story. The Thrush breeds early in April, laying four, sometimes five eggs, usually spotted with black ; rarely with reddish brown, inclining to purple. Fig. 1. TURDUS MERULA. (unn.) Blackbird. Time of incubation, and situation of its nest, similar to the last. It is found sometimes very openly exposed. I have met with it in thorn hedges, occasionally on the top of a naked stake fence, or summit of a stone wall, in evergreens, in a heap of dead sticks, and even within a few inches of the ground, on the stump of a pollard tree. It is formed chiefly of grass, and a few dry sticks, roots, and leaves, bound to- gether with mud, which it uses in a much greater quantity than the Thrush. It is then completed by a lining of fine grass, upon which she lays four or five eggs. Fig. 3, shews the usual colouring ; fig. 2, a variety : there are also many intermediate ones. TURDUS VISCIVORUS. (linn.) Missel Thkush, Storm Cock, &c. The Missel Thrush, otherwise a very shy bird, becomes more familiar in the spring ; it approaches our orchards and gardens, building its nest (which resembles that of the Black- bird) about the middle of March, in fruit trees, generally at the first divarication of the branches ; it builds also, perhaps as frequently, in plantations, in firs, oaks, &c., ten or fifteen feet above the ground. I know no bird that seems (in some instances) to have so little idea of concealment as the Missel Thrush ; it is sometimes scarcely possible to pass by its nest without discovering it. It is formed of large quantities of straw, matting, wool, and grass, which are frequently left hanging down on all sides, as though the nest had been torn to pieces ; a little moss is sometimes used, it is then cemented with mud, and afterwards thickly lined with fine dry grass. I have seen a nest of this bird, the foundation of which was mud, strongly cemented to, and nearly encircling the branches between which it was placed. The female lays four or five eggs, varying a good deal in the ground-colour, from a greenish to a red tint. When sit- ting, she defends them most resolutely. I know an instance of one flying at a man's face, when disturbed. Plate VI. Fig. 4. .,vru # ^•:^;v 2';-raMin imi^SioM/ ty W C Munis cm SwAibdi k/ CHaMnna'na.t!/. XIII. ORIOLUS GALBULA. (linn.) Golden Oriole. The Golden Oriole, though an occasional visitor, does not breed in this country. It is, however, abundant in France, and various parts of the Continent, all the year. I have not myself seen it in its usual haunts, and shall, therefore, give the following description from Shaw''s Zoology, which is the most minute, and with which other authors agree ; the sub- stance of which is as follows : — " The Golden Oriole is re- markable for constructing its nest upon a different principle from those of the generality of European birds, supporting it only by the edge or rim, so that it bears the appearance of a shallow purse or basket. It generally builds in high trees, but places the nest in rather a low part of the tree, upon the forked extremity of some slender branch. It is formed of straws, grasses, or other vegetable fibres proper for the pur- pose, thickened with the stems of finer grasses, intermixed with mosses and lichens, and lined with finer materials, as the silk bags of chrysalides of moths, the egg-bags of spiders, feathers, &c. The number of eggs is four or five. — Plate 13. XZII -Dfoirnv'^^Stmit^hf WC .Mivifyo. Ji-vndf^iy CAZmeuidtZ XXII. SAXICOLA lUIBICOLA (uechsi.) Stone-chat. The Stone-chat is much less common than either ol" the following species, it breeds, too, in places less frequented, on whinny commons and heaths ; the nest is placed on the ground, at the bottom of a whin, or other bush, or amongst the heath ; it is composed principally of grass, with a small quantity of moss, hair, and a few^ feathers ; the eggs are five, or more commonly six, in number, sometimes, though rarely, seven ; they are readily distinguished from those of tlie Whin-chat, being much less blue, and more closely sprinkled throughout with light reddish-brown. It breeds in May or June ; it is, however, very difficult to mention any particular date for the time of nidification of our smaller birds, as indivi- duals of the same species are frequently either building their nests, laying their eggs, sitting them, or feeding their young ones at the same time. — Plate XXII., Fig. 1. SAXICOLA RUBETRA. (bechst.) Whin-chat, Grass-chat. Nearly all our ornithologists have described the eggs of the Whin-chat as being of a pure and spotless blue colour, but they have evidently not examined many, or they would not have come to a conclusion so generally erroneous. It is quite true, that, in many instances, it is the case, the eggs out of the same nest being frequently both spotted and spotless ; yet, out of nearly two hundred of the eggs which I have seen, the larger proportion were spotted, most of them as distinctly as Fig. 3, of the accompanying Plate, whilst one in my col- lection, taken by myself, bears the unusually strong marking of Fig. 2. — They are almost invariably six in number ; the nest is most commonly built upon the ground in meadows and rough pastures, where it is snugly and beautifully concealed, and sheltered under a tuft of grass, or beneath a whin bush, sometimes in the bush (when thick), at a slight elevation from the ground ; it is composed outwardly of the stalks of plants and grass, with a small portion of moss, and is lined with finer grass ; like the nests of most birds that build upon the ground, it is loosely put together, and is not easily carried away whole. Time of incubation about May or June. SAXICOLA (ENANTHE. (bechst.) White Rump, Wheat-ear. The places chosen by the White-rump for nidlficatlon are various, it will sometimes place its nest upon the ground, under the shelter of a sod or stone, at others, in a deserted rabbit-warren, in a stone quarry or gravel pit, or in a chink in a wall ; I have also found it in a sand-bank, at the mouth of a hole perforated by the Sand Martin. The nest is made of the finest grasses, mixed throughout with small pieces of wool and moss, feathers and hair, the outside being nearly as fine as the lining. The eggs are five or six in number, and very elegantly formed. — Figure 4 of the Plate. xc. ( ^S JjraLfaiJaj'''i^. C He m t s a> >. I^jLTizE^iyic Litii** • !-ilr .'Ji. xc. PHILOMELA LUSCINIA. (Swains. Nightingale. Or the delicious song of the Nightingale, we, in the North of England, are unfortunately deprived. Doncaster has long been considered by Ornithologists as its Northern limit: I have, however, the pleasure of extending its boundary line a little further. It has been heard several times within four or five miles of York, and has also been once or twice taken in traps in that neighbourhood. In the South of England, in many parts of which it is very abundant, it is nevertheless somewhat partially and whimsically distributed ; according to Mr. Neville Wood,* it has never been met with in any part of North Wales, nor does it occur fiirther West than Somerset- shire : he remarks, " The reason of this is by no means well explained ; and indeed it would seem to be perfectly arbitrary, as some of the counties which are not favoured by its melody are remarkable for balminess of climate, and softness of air ; nor can it be the coldness of climate in the Northern counties, that prevents its visiting these, as *it is found in much more Northern latitudes in other countries." The Nightingale makes its nest, like the Robin Redbreast, upon the ground, amongst the roots of trees, or upon a hedge bank : its base is composed of loose herbage, rushes, and dry leaves ; the nest itself is a compact matting of leaves — princi- pally oak, — rushes, and grass, lined with a thin covering of fine grass. The eggs are four or five, sometimes six, in num- ber; they are commonly of a pure and spotless drab, some- times, however, distinctly fireckled all over with a darker colouring.— Plate XC. Figs. 1 and 2. * See au interesting paper by him, in No. 12 of the Analyst. ERYTHACA RUBECULA. (Swains.) Redbreast, Robin. The Robin Redbreast is one of those few birds, which, escaping the destroying and persecuting hand of man, is rather an object of his protection. It becomes early a favourite with us, and one of the most pleasing nursery tales of our childhood teaches us to look at it with interest and affectionate regard. This kind feeling towards it seems to have established a mutual confidence between us, and no bird is on such fami- liar terms with us, and well it repays all our kindness. It is our companion, and cheers us with its song alike in the gloom as in the sunshine of the year ; and in the Autumn, when the dark days of Winter are approaching, and the gay visitors of our Summer months have taken their departure, when the butterfly has ceased its flight, and the leaves are falling around us, — then it is that the Redbreast, taking up its station close to our dwellings, and amongst the noise and bustle of our towns, cheers us the day long with its sweet and simple song. Whether it is in imagination only, I know not, but to me the note of the Robin has, in the Autumn of the year, a tone of melancholy in it, peculiarly in accordance with the feelings, and differing from the joyous carol of the gayer months. Alighting close upon your threshold, and evidently courting your acquaintance, the Robin must be to every one an object of interest. " Half afraid, he first Against the window beats ; then brisk alights On the warm hearth ; then, hopping o'er the floor. Eyes all the smiling family askance. And pecks, and starts, and wonders where he is ; Till more familiar grown, the table crumbs Attract his slender feet." The Redbreast was the friend of Burns, sharing alike with other animals those kind feelings, with which ho regarded every object of the creation, and calling fortli some of his beautiful lines. For many winters a Redbreast used to take up its quarters for the night, in a room in which I slept, coming to the window for admission at night, and making signs of impatience to be let out in the morning. Its nest is composed of moss, dried gi'ass, and leaves, lined with hair, and sometimes a few feathers; it is placed in a broken woody bank, often by the side of some slightly frequented country lane, where it is sheltered by the overhanging brushwood, — also, not unfrequently in a hole of an old ruin, or garden wall. Mr. Selby mentions having known several instances, in which its nest occupied the inside of a watering-pot. During the late Summer, a pair of Redbreasts had their nest in some ivy against a garden wall, which the owner was about to remove ; but, being at the same time unwUling to disturb them, he took the nest and eggs, and placed them in a neighbouring bush ; and, much to his satisfaction, soon had the pleasure of seeing the old one reseated upon her eggs. The eggs are mostly four or five, sometimes six, and even seven, in number; they are commonly freckled all over like the one in the plate, sometimes more sparingly so, and encircled with a zone of spots near the larger end : the variety figured is one that rarely occurs. Figs. 3 and 4. ex 3 Drravo: ox Stuy\piT''^.C.Hir.'n±'i (m,. Tlajr itEa.gl[iaXifli£f.*tp-tiie.Kuig. ex. PIia^NICURA RUTICILLA. (Swains.) RfDSTAKT, RliDTAIL, FlRETAII- The Redstart is amongst the most familiar of our summer visitants, frequenting our towns and villages, and building its nest in some hole in the garden wall, or the hollow of some tree. There its oft repeated and monotonous cry may be heard throughout the day, uttered in a tone so melancholy, and with such apparent anxiety and distress, that one is led to expect some cat prowling near ; and such is too frequently the case, and numerous are the broods of this and others of our friends, which fall an easy prey to this enemy of their race. The nest of the Redstart is composed chiefly of moss, and is lined with hair and feathers. In two nests, sent me by my kind friend, the Rev. W. D. Fox, the difference was so great, that I will describe them separately. One taken from a hole in a tree, was formed of moss, grass, and a few dry leaves, lined with a quantity of wool, mixed with fine grass and hair. The other, from a wall, was chiefly of dry grass, moss, and wool, with finer grasses and hair towards the inside, and lined with a profusion of white feathers. The eggs, which are from five to eight in number, are smaller than those of the Hedge Sparrow ; of a more slender and delicate fonn ; and are usu- ally of a lighter blue. Fig. 1. PHCENICURA TITHYS. (Jakd. and Selby.) Tythys Redstart. Of the habits of the Tythis Redstart we know but little ; it has only of late been added to the list of our British Birds, and appears to be nowhere frequent on the Continent. It is said to breed in the holes of rocks, walls, and trees, and to lay five or six eggs. These are of a purer and more perfect white than any other egg which I have seen. Fig. 2. To the libe- rality of Mr. Doubleday I am indebted for a specimen of this rare egg ; as well as to Mr. Yarrell, for the loan of one fi-om which to draw, A fine male specimen of the Tythis Redstart was shot there, on the 19th of December last, during the formation of the Clifton Zoological Gardens. It was in company with some Stonechats, and was fat and in good condition. PHCENICURA SUECICA. (Seiby.) Blue-Throated Redstart. The only specimen of this beautiful bird which has been noticed in this country, was killed on the Town Moor of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and is now amongst the other rarities of their rich museum. Acerbi mentions his having found several of the nests, with eggs of this bird, on the banks of the river Jeres, at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia. It is also an inhabitant of some parts of Norway. In that portion of the country which we traversed, it is rare, and only once afforded us the satisfaction of seeing it, and then under cir- cumstances which I can nexev think of without pleasure. We were descending the stce|) und wooded sid(; ol one ol' the nnnierous ishmds with which the Norwegian coast is so thickly studded. It was after midniglit; and the sun, which we liad just seen set in glory above the horizon, was now, with its rising beams, diffusing an additional warmth over the fiice of nature, and adding a lustre to every beautiful and magnificent object around us. Nature, which during the short delicious summer of these regions, seems scarcely to allow time for slumber or repose, was thus early in activity. The bee came humming ])ast us, and the Blue-throated Redstart was in motion amongst the low brushwood. Although in other respects it is more closely allied to the Redstarts, with which it is now associated, yet in the little which we had an opportunity of seeing of its habits, it very much resembles the species of the genus Currucain its hiding, skulking manner. It is said to breed in the holes of trees, and to lay six eggs. To the kindness of my friend Mr. Doubleday, T am indebted for a specimen of this rare egg also. LXXl. Timsrmy un.Stoii.eiy''W C EemtsoiL . Day Scits-JiieLitir' t^ thiEui^ ■ LXX. SALirARIA ARUNDTNACEA. (sELnv. Reed Warhlkr, Reed Wren. The Rcc'd Warbler lias iiiver (that I am aware of) been me{ with in the north of England ; and in the south it appears to be local ; it is, however, rather abundant in the counties of Kent and Sussex. To mv friend, Mr. Doubleday, of Epping, I am indebted for the eggs, together with a most beautiful nest of this bird. It was built, as they usually are, amongst reeds, by four of which it was supported, and to which it is firmly attached. Mr. Bolton mentions one which was in a low hazel, and Mr. Sweet found another in the low side branches of a poplar ; I should think, however, that such instances are of rare oc- currence. In the nest of the Reed Warbler we have an example of the wonderful adaptation of the habits and in- stincts of animals to the situations in which nature has placed them. Built, as the nest of this bird is, high upon reeds, which are are agitated by every breeze that blows, the eggs would be in continual danger of rolling out, if the little archi- tect did not make its habitation less in diameter, and deeper, in proportion, than those of birds which have not this danger to contend with, and so effectually is this evil prevented, that although, as observed by Montague, the reeds in which it is placed are often bowed by the wind to the very surface of the water, yet the eggs remain secure. They are four or five in number, and in the few which I have seen vary but slightly. The nest is composed almost entirely of the flowering tops of reeds, finer towards its centre ; the outside is bound round and kept firm by long grass mixed with wool, by which it is also attached to the reeds. — Plate LXX., Fig. 1. XLII. ^- Dr^^oroJir^y wcm^^a^. -'^'-^ ^ cmanu>^u^- XLII. C'UHRUCA HORTENSIS. (flemino.) Greater Pettychaps, Greater Fauvktte, Gardex Warbler. The Garden Warbler builds its nest about the end of May or beginning of June, in bushy woods, amongst brambles and every species of low tangled brushwood ; in our gardens and pleasure-grounds, in evergreens, and other thick shrubs. It is formed outwardly of umbelliferous plants, becoming finer towards the inside, and mixed with the stalks and some flowering heads of grasses, together with very fine roots, and a few hairs. The eggs are four or five in number, and differ very considerably in their appearance ; sometimes as in Fig. 1, so closely resembling those of the Blackcap that it is quite impossible to distinguish the two species ; at other times ap- pearing in the more distinct and beautiful markings of Fig. 2, kindly sent me by the Rev. W. D. Fox, and approaching very closely to the eggs of the Lesser Whitethroat. There are many intermediate varieties ; some with the clear colouring of Fig. 2, and having the blotches of neutral tint and dark brown, but smaller and more regularly spread over the sur- face ; some likewise differ considerably in their proportionate length. Though you may examine this bird when upon the nest it is extremely difficult to get a good view of it afterwards ; it drops instantly into the thick herbage below, and conceals it- self most effectually. CXTl. 4 OB.St(m.e 3jt W C JTcm-ts cm- . PayfciLa-gie iJaL. CXVl. CURRUCA CINEREA. (Beciist. WlIITKTIliiOAT. Whilst the eggs of the rest of the genus Curruca bear a near resemblance to each other, especially in some of their varieties, those of the present species differ much, not only from them but likewise from the eggs of all other birds ; having a character which is peculiar to themselves, and which in the numbers I have seen could not be mistaken; neither do they present any remarkable varieties, Fig. 2 being the most distinct which I have met with. The nest of the Whitethroat, though apparently slight and comfortless, is composed of materials so light and at the same time so strong, that it is much more compact and firm than some of the more substantial looking structures of the Fringillidae, &c. Tt is composed of umbelliferous plants, mixed with spiders' webs and bits of wool, and is generally lined with black horse-hair. It is usually placed in low bushes, brambles, and nettles. The eggs are four or five, and sometimes six ; of the last number I have met with several instances. CXL\1L T>yywnojvSi-juii«>T'W"C Ifrwitsot Hay S-tTaghs 1 j tt?-- ■") riie giiu; eoL. CXLVIl. MELIZOPHILUS PROVINCIALS. (Leach.) Dartford Wakblek. The Dartford Warbler is one of those birds which, although not unfrequent in a few localities, is nevertheless very difficult to procure. T am not aware that its eggs are in any of the London col- lections, not having been able to procure them, until supplied with specimens by Henry Burney, Esq. who took them near Oxford, after shooting the female from the nest, which was closely concealed in a thick covering of furze, and was a good deal like that of the Whitethroat, being composed of umbel- liferous plants, and a small proportion of moss. The eggs are four or five in number ; and, as it will be seen by the plate, bear considerable resemblance to those of the Whitethroat. c:syirL ..vr. wm^ aQ.St(m.eiijr^C .2.e-7ri.-.s>m-. lay fcHA.gh£:Ij-tli?Ho+i.eEiig CXVIII. SYLVIA HTPPOLAIS. (Lath.) Chifi- Chaff. lIowKVKR monotonous the voice of the Chiff-ChaflT may sound when mingled with the rich melody of the various Warblers, there is a time at which it brings with it a delightfid welcome, when its cheerful sound bursts upon the ear as the first notice of the arrival of our feathered friends, at a time when the primrose and the violet are first rearing their beautiful forms upon the earth — to tell us that the woods will soon be green, and that the cold joyless winter will again give place to the delights of summer. The Chifl-Chaff comes to us before the insects have left their winter hiding-places, when there is not a green leaf to cover its graceful form. Its aiTival usually takes place in March, and Mr. Neville Wood informs me, that he has heard its note as early as the 5th of February. Montague likewise mentions January and February as its earliest appearance. It breeds towards the end of May, or beginning of June, and considering the abundance of the species, it is not easy to account for the difficulty in procuring its eggs. Amongst the numbers of nests of the Willow Wren, which I have found at various times, I have never met ^Wth more than two or three of those of the Chiff-Chaff ; many of my corres- pondents to whom I have applied to procure me some of the eggs, in hopes of meeting vnih varieties, have expressed to me the same difficulty. The nest is very similar to that of the Willow Wren, being composed of dried grass, dead leaves, and moss, lined pro- fusely with feathers ; its situation is, however, usually some- what different, and although sometimes in places similar to those occupied by that of the Willow Wren, the nest of the Chiff-Chaff differs from it in being mostly raised above the ground in a low bush. I once found one in some ivy against a garden wall, and at about two feet above the gi-ound. The eggs are usually seven ; a good deal like those of the Willow Wren ; the spots are however, much darker, and of a purple colom*. Fig. 1 of the Plate. SYLVIA SIBILATRIX. (Bechst.) Yellow Willow Wren. — Wood Wren. The Yellow Willow Wren is much more rare than the two allied species ; its haunts are different. Whilst the other species are met with in every thicket and closely tangled copse, the Yellow Willow Wren frequents woods of a longer growth, and cleared of the thicker brushwood. The nest (which I have found as difficult to procure as those of the Chiff-Chaff,) is placed upon the ground, in woods, under a tuft of grass ; it is like those of the other species of the genus, arched over at the top ; it is too, composed of moss, dried grass, and dead leaves, but differs from them in being lined with fine grass and hair, instead of feathers. The eggs which are usually ses-en, are generally similar to Fig. 3 of the Plate. I possess one which is rather like those of the Chiff-Chaff, sparingly marked, but with larger spots. I have also seen a nest of seven, all of the beautiful variety Fig. 2. CiV \^. }x'- c?tonje^'WC.Hfiu>tecra., V^^kSh-'a^!. IlLt' cxv. SYLVIA TllOCIlYLUS. (Lath.) Willow Wren, Yellow Wren. Dear to me as arc each of the sweet birds of summer, there is not one the return of which I have yearly witnessed with so much pleasure; and however more highly the rich melody of some of the other warblers may be prized, there is a simplicity and a sweet cadence about the note of the Wil- low Wren, which I prefer to all of them, and which never fails to impart the most pleasurable sensations. It is a feeling which none but the lover of nature can at all appreciate ; and, however difficult for others to understand, I know that some of the chief enjoyments of my life have emanated from these " delightful visitants of spring :" and I feel a regard for each of them, as the amusing companions of many a solitary walk. The Willow Wren is one of the most abundant of the war- blers, and almost every wood and copse is enlivened by its beautiful form and graceful motions. " Thou fairy bird, how I love to trace The rapid flight of thy tiny race ; For the wild bee does not wave its wing More lightly than thine, thou fairy thing." It is too an inhabitant of more northern countries ; and I shall not readily forget the delight I experienced, on hearing its soft sweet note whilst seated within the Arctic Circle, upon one of the bleak isles of Norway. The Willow Wren builds its nest upon the ground, some- times in the midst of woods when not very thick, but more commonly near their margin, or in any grassy bank where brushwood occurs. In shape it resembles that of the Common Wren, being arched over, with the entrance at one side ; it is however much more fragile, and not easily removed entire, being composed of grass and moss, with dead leaves, warmly lined with feathers. Of the eggs I have seen but the two varieties figured ; they are of about equal occurrence. Mr. Neville Wood, in his British Song-Birds, quotes a letter from Dr. Liverpool describing the readiness with which the Willow Wren becomes sociable. To this I can add a most interesting instance. To ascertain, beyond the possibility of doubt, the identity of the two varieties of eggs figured, I had captured on their nests several of the birds. Amongst these was one which I carried home and confined during the night in a large box ; and such was its lameness that when I took it out the following morning, and would have set it at liberty, it seemed to have no wish to leave my hand, and would hop about the table where I was sitting, picking up flies which I caught for it. In the autumn, previous to their departure, the Willow Wrens frequent our orchards and gardens, where they may be seen busily picking insects from the pea straw and other vegetables ; the young ones easily distinguished by their brighter colouring of yellow. At the time at which I write this, August 14, they may be heard amongst the extensive cider orchards of Somer- setshire, warbling their farewell song, but in a tone far differ- ent from that of their first glad visit in the spring, and so subdued that it is scarcely audible. li.'xxryn . *<«.i ii»'ii l>rr^yrT.. un-Stoae-liv V T^JIft-wit son J) aj A.lagie Ijtk'' = to the Ejig. LXXWII REGULUS AUKICAPILLUS. (sklby.) GoLOBN Crested Wren. This, the least of all our British birds, is very generally dispersed throughout the island, and may be met with from the most northerly part of Scotland to the southern extre- mity of England ; we likewise saw it whilst traversing the pine forests of Norway. In activity and habits, when in search of insects, it resembles much the various species of Tit- mice, and may be seen like them suspended from the branches of trees, and in all those beautiful and graceful attitudes so peculiar to the tribe ; its chief resort is in fir plantations, and its nest is usually placed in a tree of that species ; it is most commonly suspended beneath the sheltering branch of a spruce fir, attached to some of the slender drooping twigs, at other times built upon its upper surface ; I have seen it, also, but rarely, placed against the trunk of the tree, upon the base of a diverging branch, and at an elevation of from twelve to twenty feet above the ground ; it is composed of the soft- est species of mosses, interwoven with wool, a few grasses, dead leaves, and spiders' webs ; with the latter it is fastened to the twigs, and is lined with a quantity of feathers, those of the smaller birds being carefully selected for the purpose ; its eggs vary from seven to eight, which is the number most frequent, to ten, or even eleven ; their commonest colour being that of Fig. 1 ; for specimens of the pretty variety accom- panying it I am indebted to the Rev. W. D. Fox, of Derby- shire, Avho meets with it breeding abundantly in his own neighbourhood, indeed I have never seen it so mnnerous else- where as it is in that countv. TROGLODYTES EUROPGEUS. (cuvier.) Common Wren, Kitty Wren. The nest of the Wren is of an oval form, arched over and protected on every side ; it is a most beautiful specimen of strength, warmth, and neatness, and so compact is it, and closely interwoven, that one in my collection might be kicked about the floor without at all disarranging or disuniting those minute particles of moss, of which it was first formed ; it is usually constructed of green mosses, and from its close resem- blance to the situation in which it is placed is admirably pro- tected from discovery ; this is most commonly against the moss-grown side of a rock, a bank, or an old tree, in the de- cayed side of which the nest is formed, and were it not for the small hole of entrance, would be regarded only as a portion of the tree ; I have sometimes found the nest covered outside with dry ferns, and have not unfrequently met with it against the side of a clover stack, constructed entirely of the clover, and becoming a piece of the stack itself, and were it not for the flight of the bird from the spot, it would have run no risk of detection. No bird is so jealous of discovery or intrusion. Amongst a great number of nests which I have found in the progress of building, I have never known one proceeded with after having been discovered and touched. It is impossible to thrust the finger into the tiny entrance without disarranging the neatness and beautiful symmetry of its form ; this I have found has, in every instance, caused its abandonment by the owner, and may readily account for the numbers of unfinished nests which we used at school to call ' cocks' nests,"" suppos- ing that they were built by the male bird for its own parti- cular abode. The Wren is a hardy solitary little bird, and may be seen in some of our bleakest and most unalieltered districts ; we saw it on some of the most sterile heaths of Shetland, the only support for its nest being the bank of some mountain gully, its only shelter the overhanging sod. Notwithstanding the number of eggs which the Wren has been stated by some Ornitliologists to lay, I have never suc- ceeded in finding more than eight, and seldom more than se- ven in the same nest ; they are not usually so much spotted as Fig. 3, and are often white, or nearly so. Ornithologists diflfer as to the lining of the nest of the Wren, some maintaining that it is thickly lined with feathers, whilst others deny that it has any in its composition. I have found it both ways, but cannot, from recollection, say which most frequently. TiTXTL. 1 ■ If EJjiiaJ: . .V Hm-vrai. cm-SttJieiT'^-^ iemi 5 (ji. liTScSaj^Lith;-.- LXXVI. PARUS C.ERULKUS. (linn.) Blue Titmouse, Bluecap, Tomtit, Billy-biter. The Titmice, the eggs of three species of which are figured in the annexed plate, are amongst the most familiar of our feathered friends ; they are with us the year through, and when our other truant visitors have forsaken us for brighter skies, draw nearer to our dwellings, closely prying into every corner, and clearing our fruit trees of innumerable insects, affording us constant amusement by their unceasing gaiety and activity, and by their ever varying and elegant attitudes ; they are the mountebanks of the feathered race ; every hour of their little lives is spent in constant usefulness, and for our benefit, notwithstanding which, they are by many considered as a nuisance, and no pains spared to destroy them ; there are parishes, even in which a price is set upon their heads, and paid for their destruction, under a delusion, which I am happy to say is, with many such absurdities, speedily vanish- ing. Why they are thus persecuted, it is difficult to guess ; I much doubt whether their great services are accompanied with any harm to us ; their progress in a garden may ap- pear to the owner to be strewed with buds, the future hopes of his industry ; these are, however, but the infected part of his trees, and have been carefully examined and pulled to pieces by these little birds to destroy the lurking enemy within, which, if permitted to multiply unchecked, would soon defoliate his trees. The Blue Titmouse, by far the most numerous of the race, and to which what I have said chiefly refers, is a most ob- stinate little fellow ; and when he has once taken possession of a hole for his nest, will bravely defend it, not only against the inroads of other birds, but against our intrusion ; no means, save a forcible ejection with the hand, will induce him to leave it, against the entrance of which he will fight fiercely, making at the same time a singular hissing noise. Amongst many most interesting instances, confirmatory of the fact, the two following are kindly furnished me by T. C. Hey- sham, Esq. : — " A few years ago, when upon an Entomologi- cal excursion, wishing to examine the decayed stump of a tree which was broken to pieces for that purpose, and the fragments dispersed to a considerable distance by a severe blow, a Blue Titmouse was found sitting upon fourteen eggs in a small cavity of the root ; notwithstanding the above se- vere shock, it remained immoveable till forcibly taken off the nest." " Early this spring, a pair had taken possession of a hole in a tree where the Pied Flycatcher had regularly built for the last four years, and being anxious it should continue to do so, the nest and eggs were removed, the latter to the number of sixteen ; in defiance of all these annoyances, the female still kept possession of the hole, where I saw it repeatedly af- terwards, for several weeks, sitting upon the bare wood. I have myself known one continue building its nest, for many days together, under the handle of a pump, although its la- bours were daily destroyed by its action. The Blue Titmouse builds its nest of grass, moss, hair, and feathers ; it is placed, for the most part, in holes of trees and old walls ; the eggs are from seven to eighteen in number ; I believe sometimes even more. I have always been accustomed to receive with jealousy and caution any of those reports in which most of bird-nesters seem so much to delight, regarding the great number of eggs laid by some of our smaller birds, never hav- ing myself met with a nest containing more than eight or nine eggs : it is, however, a curious fact, that the Blue Tit- mouse will lay twice that number, as in the instance given by Mr. Heysham. I have one, from authority upon which I can place dependence, in which the nest contained eighteen eggs ; they aie white, minutely marked with reddish or yel- lowish dots, most towards the laiger end, and occasionally forming a circle round it. — Plate LXXV'I., Fig. 1. PARLS PAU'STRIS. (linn.) Marsh Titmouse. The Marsh Titmouse breeds in holes of trees, taking con- siderable pains in hollowing out a suitable cavity for its nest ; it is made with more care than that of the preceding, and is formed of moss, grass, and the soft down of the willow, with which it is also lined. I am not aware that the eggs exceed seven or eight in number ; I have never found more ; they frequently resemble those of the Blue Tit very closely ; the spots are, however, usually larger, and the form rounded and more like eggs of the Willow Wren. — Fig. 2. PARUS CAUDATUS. (linn.) LONO-TAILED TiTMOUSE, BoTTLB TiT, &C. ADMIRABLE and strikingly wonderful, as are the complicated and beautiful constructions of the bright birds of other climes, there are none more surpassingly so than that of the Long- tailed Titmouse ; it is in everyway perfect as the safeguard of the tiny beings that are to be reared under its protecting roof, and fostered by its warmth ; covered in, and defended as it is against every wind that blows, except at the small hole of entrance of the parent bird ; it is formed, too, of the softest materials ; its exterior is of moss, twisted together throughout with wool and the nests of spiders, and covered over, outside (as the nest of the Chaffinch), with pieces of white lichen ; its inside is so thickly lined with feathers, as to obtain for it, in some parts, the name of featherpoke. — With all its capabilities, I have never been able to detect " the hole behind for its tail to come through," mentioned by Mr. Selby. The Long-tailed Titmouse is by no means com- mon ; I have never met with it so often as to destroy the no- velty and interest which its appearance never fails to excite ; they are most sociable little beings, and except during the breeding season are very rarely seen alone ; united, during the winter months, they may be seen in families passing from hedge to hedge, and flitting after each other in such rapid and uninterrupted flight, as though their little aerial bodies were sustained by the breath of heaven alone. With the ex- ception of the Golden-Crested Wren, the eggs of the Long- tailed Titmouse are smaller than those of any other British bird ; they are from seven to sixteen in number ; the spots are sometimes scarcely visible, — Fig. 3. Upon finding the nest of almost every bird, we may predict, with tolerable cer- tainty, the number of eggs it will contain (provided the bird has begun to sit) ; but with the Blue and Long-tailed Tit- mouse, it is far different. There is a strange uncertainty in the number of their eggs ; I have found each with seven eggs only, and hard sitting ; the nest is placed commonly in some - thick bush, or on the bough of a tree. I have seen it in the latter situation, so closely resembling a part of the tree, that had it not been that my attention was attracted to the spot by the repeated flight of the birds in that direction, I should never have discovered it, nor did I even then till 1 had watched one of them enter it. It is an early breeder, and is frequently sitting on its eggs towards the end of April. m f\..lV'' }1. ff^tSOJI., Daj fc jia.^3»e Ui?' ti. tKrlC-mg . CXXXIII. PARUS CRISTATUS. Crested Titmouse. The Crested Titmouse is said to have been met with in the pine forests of Scotland, where however, the recent researches which have been made in the hopes of finding it, have proved ineffectual. Dr. Latham, first records it as a British species, from a specimen sent him from the neighboiuhood of Glenmore, and Mr. Selby, quoting the infonnation of Sir Wm. Jardine, states, that it is met with near Glasgow. It breeds according to Temminck, in the holes of trees and rocks, and sometimes in the deserted nest of a squirrel. The eggs which closely resemble those of the other Titmice, are said to be eight or ten in number ; the one figuied in the Plate was kindly lent for that purpose by my friend Mr. Yarrell. 1.XSXT. Cm StcmeiyVrCiCevatscm.. hig-kSiaA&i-ai-h}^ to tiifiltng. LXXXI PARUS MAJOK. (MNN.) Greater Titmouhe, Ox-kvk. The Greater Titmouse breeds in the holes of trees ; its nest is of moss and feathers, with some hair ; its eggs are, however, sometimes laid upon the fine particles of the rotten wood alone ; they are from seven to eleven in number, and are, as I stated, when speaking of that bird, exceedingly si- milar to those of the Nuthatch. — Figs. 1 and 2. PARUS ATER. (linn.) Cole Titmouse. The Cole Titmouse also breeds in the holes of trees, usu- ally at a less elevation from the ground than the other spe- cies, sometimes in cavities which occur amongst the exposed roots ; or, as mentioned by Mr. Selby, in the entrance of a mouse,.>.>■ /v/ P/' c^ //c}?yf'/sf''- /rinrc.^ A- fF^.'ciVi'.J'MoAr. IJX. MOTACILLA ALBA, (linn.) Pied Wagtail, Watkr Wagtail The Pied Wagtail builds its nest in the holes of walls, bridges, and in the broken banks of rivers, upon the ground ; it is composed of roots and grasses, lined with finer roots and hair ; its eggs are from four to five in number, sometimes of the contour of the one figured in the Plate, frequently much more rounded, and resembling in shape those of the other species ; they are, also, occasionally more strongly marked, often with spots of a deep brown. MOTACILLA BOARULA. (linn.) Grey Wagtail. The nest and situation in which it is placed, so nearly resem- ble those of the Pied Wagtail, that a separate description is unnecessary ; it is, perhaps, more compact and more frequently placed upon the ground. This Wagtail is much the rarest species of the three. I possess eggs from Mr. Heysham, of Carlisle, and also (together with a nest beautifully lined with white hair) from Mr. Leyland, of Halifax, where, he informs me he meets with them every year ; the eggs are, in number, four or five. — Fig. 2. MOTACILLA FLAVA. (linn.) Yellow Wagtail. The eggs of the Yellow Wagtail, as will be seen by the Plate, very closely resemble those of the Grey Wagtail, so much so, that either of the figures may be considered as varieties of the other ; those of the Yellow Wagtail often as- suming the colouring of Fig. 2 ; whilst those of the Grey Wagtail are frequently of the deeper hue of Fig. 3 ; the nests resemble nearly those of the other two species ; the eggs are, in number, four or five ; but I have known them lay as many as six. cxxxrv Dra-vai. coa- &tu]afcJrry"W. C ."fferwit sca^-. l)ay lUUgl^e .1 .i th'^lj) -tKelCiiiig cxxxv. LOXIA CURVIROSTRA. (I.inn. Crossbill. I AM not aware of any instance in which the Crossbill has been detected breeding in this country, excej)! the one which the liberality of Arthur Strickland, Esq. enables me to record. The nest and eggs of this species were taken from a larch fir near his residence at Boynton, near Burlington, in Yorkshire, duiing the summer of 1829. The nest is made of sticks loosely put together, and crossed in a similar manner to ihat of the Ring Dove, mixed with white lichens, and very like the more clumsily built nests of the Hawfinch. Mr. Selby is of opinion, that the Crossbill breeds with the earliest spring, or even in winter, having killed several in this country early in June, which showed plainly from the denuded state of their breasts, that they had been engaged in incubation some time previous to their arrival. Those which we saw whilst in Norway, in May and June, were always in flocks, and had either not commenced or else had done breeding. 1..XVIIL I^id wiv cm Stone li^-^V", C HeT.yitp on. . 1'a.y fcHi^jiie Litlv^^ ti> tWTViji-d. rx\ III. AN'riUS AyUATirUS. (bkchst.) KucK Lark. The Rock Lark is, I believe, confined almost entirely to the sea-coast, upon some parts of which it is very abundant ; it makes its nest upon the ground, or upon ledges of the rock bounding the sea-beach. I have frequently found them upon the Fern and Coquet islands, and once met with one snugly sheltered in the centre of a heap of dry sea-weed which lay upon the sandy shore ; it is composed entirely of fine dry grass, and though beautifully firm, and sufficiently compact in its proper place, very soon falls to pieces when removed ; the eggs are four or five, rarely six, in number, and possess a character of roundness peculiar to the species ; some of the varieties, though never very far removed from that drawn at Fig. 1, differ from it considerably in their general hue, as- similating more nearly to the browner colouring of the eggs of the Skvlark. ANTHUS PRATENSIS. (linn.) Tit Lark. The eggs of the Tit Lark are less subject to variety than those of the other species, not often diflfering from the deep sombre hue of Fig. 1, except in the intensity of tints ; some are less deeply freckled throughout, whilst others are marked with a distinct ring of darker colour round the larger end ; Fig. 2 is, however, a most remarkable variety, though of verv rare occurrence. The Tit Lark builds its nest in meadows and pastures, and on open heathy moors, where it abounds ; it is, like that of the Rock Lark, composed entirely of dry grass ; the eggs are four or five, rarely six, in number. CXLV On.StoTjiby'^Carmtsa layOa^ist^. CXIV. ANTHUS ARB0REU8. (Beciist.) Tree Pipit. Of the Land Birds there is no species the eggs of which present so many or such distinct varieties, as those of the Tree Pipit. Of the most prominent of these for contrast, and for their beauty and richness of colouring, I have done my best to give a tolerable representation in the plate. Of Fig. 1 I have seen but few specimens. Fig. 2 is the most common, with another variety resembling it in the same closely freckled appearance ; but of a different and darker colour, and very nearly like, in that respect, the eggs of the Meadow Pipit, or Tit Lark, from which they are however easily dis- tinguished by their greater size and more rounded form. Fig. 3, and the richly coloured variety Fig. 4, are of about equal occurrence. With the exception of Fig. 1, I possess all the other varieties in abundance, taken whilst at school ; and had there been another species of bird to which they could belong, their great difference would have rendered their identity doubtful. I have, however, for some years taken particular pains to establish all of these varieties beyond a doubt, having caught the bird upon them, and also received specimens of each from my friend Mr. Doubleday, taken in the same way. In woody countries the Tree Pipit is very abundant, and in none more so than in Devonshire, Somersetshire, and some parts of Cumberland ; differing in this its choice from the very closely assimilated species, the Tit Lark, which, though it may be met with in the more cultivated districts, is far more abundant on the open heaths, where it is followed by the Cuckoo. The nest of the Tree Pipit is composed chiefly of dry grass, mixed with moss, lined with finer grasses, and sometimes a few hairs. It is placed upon the ground, and is rarely far distant from trees, being frequently found in the heart of woods and plantations, by the side of a drive or foot-path. Mr. Neville Wood, in his book of British Song- Birds, mentions an instance (the only one of which I have heard) of its having been found in a low bush. The favourite resort of the Tree Pipit is a grassy bank on the margin of a wood, especially if ornamented by a few trees, on the branches of which it delights to perch. VUL Jkmn mSlOM m W C Jiomirsm. VIII. MUSCICAPA LUCTUOSA. (temm.) Pied Flycatcher. This species, though rarely met with in other parts of England, arrives annually in Cumberland and Westmorland, where it breeds in very considerable numbers. It is here, however, quite local ; and though I have seen it in plenty enlivening the beautiful banks of the rivers Eainont and Low- ther, and upon the Eden, at Edenhall, yet, in a trip through the Lakes, I never met with it, except on the woody borders of Ullswater. To a friend of mine, Mr. John Gibson, who resides at Tyrril, near Penrith, who has for some years observed the habits of this bird, I am indebted for the following informa- tion, accompanied with the nests and eggs : — The Pied Flycatcher builds its nest about the end of May and beginning of June, in the holes of trees, walls, and bridges, and appears particularly partial to the neighbourhood of a stream of water. The hole chosen is generally too small to admit the hand, and the nest rarely at the depth of more than four or five inches ; it is slight, and composed of small quan- tities of dried grass and straws, lined with very fine grass and hairs, with occasionally a few dead leaves. It usually lays from four to six eggs ; but Mr. Heysham, who meets with it near Carlisle, and has published some interesting papers relative to its nidification, &c., informs me that the Pied Flycatcher fre- quently lays seven or eight eggs, several instances of each hav- ing come under his obser\'ation during the last spring (1831) ; that the eggs also differ considerably in size and conforma- tion, those contained in one nest that he took being unusually small, nearly oval, and almost white ; he has found the nest two luccessive years in the stump of a felled tree. Bewick mentions an instance of a nest and young of this bird having been fovuid in Axwell Park, near Newcastle-on- Tyne. Bolton also met with them in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and other straggling notices are given of its appear- ance ; but Cumberland and Westmorland are its favourite resort. Fig. 1. MUSCICAPA GRISOLA. (linn.) Spotted Flycatcher, Beam-Bird, &c. Builds about the middle of June, in very various situa- tions — in walls and bridges, where a stone or brick has been pulled out, in stumps of trees in holes that are pretty open, on the branches and amongst the roots of trees overhanging a river, upon the boughs of wall-fruit trees, and in many other such places. Its nest is formed of small twigs, roots, and moss, inter- woven with spider's webs, and is lined with hair and feathers. It lays four or five eggs, resembling Plate VIII., Figures 2 and 3. liXTX ■ Drawn. cm-SbniftlyWC HevatsorL . > ajr kJIa-gi e Li tb." Lo t>i e Euvg LXIX. COKVrS CORAX. (mnn.) K W KN. The Raven, which, a few years ago, used to breed in old ruins, and even in some of our church steeples, is now only to be met with far removed from man's dwelling place, lead- ing a solitary and persecuted life ; it is, in consequence, one of the shyest and most wary birds in this country. In Nor- way, on the contrary (as I have before noticed with regard to the Magpie), where persecution is unknown, they so abound, that we at one time counted as many as eighteen to- gether ; there they are pert and confident, and would frequently remain quietly seated till we had passed them at the distance of a few yards. The Raven breeds in the most wild and inaccessible dis- tricts which this country affords, building its nest upon ledges of steep and lofty cliffs ; it is large, and composed of sticks matted together with mud, and lined with a quantity of roots, wool, and the fur of animals : it is one of the earliest breed- ers amongst our feathered tribes, and frequently rears its young ones under some of our most inclement skies ; its eggs are four or five in number. For a fine series of specimens from which those figured in the plate are selected, I am in- debted to Charles-Whaley Spurgeon, Esq., of Lynn, Norfolk. Fig. 1 .is the most characteristic of the species, although va- rieties resembling Fig. 2 are by no means unfrequent. XCl. ■4^'. vacn:ui)y"Vr C.H:e«i-:5ai^. a-j-KBi^Lith^^totLe Kine,. XCI. CORVUS CORONE. (Linn.) Carrion Crow, Corby Crow, Black-neb, &c. The Corby Crow has of late been a subject of discussion with Ornithologists ; Mr. Rennie maintaining that it is in the habit of covering its eggs with the lining of its nest during its absence, which Mr, Waterton denies. I would be unwilling to contradict the statement of any one, unless with positive proof to the contrary, allowing that there may be chance de- viations from a general habit, and one of such deviations I take the instance mentioned by Mr. Rennie, to be. I know not whether he is in the habit of climbing, and, having looked into a crow's nest, describes what he has himself seen. Mr, Waterton is truly an out-of-door naturalist, and few Ornithologists enjoy such an opportunity of observing the habits of birds ; living, as he does upon his own property, on which all the persecuted feathered race find a refuge and a home, there remain alike unmolested, and under his pro- tection, the Hawk, the Owl, and the Crow ; he is no copyist, and gives his facts from his own personal observation. It has long been a propensity with me, (and one from which I have derived much pleasure,) to look into every bird's nest that comes within my reach ; and, to gratify this propensity, I have rarely passed the nest of a Magpie, or Crow, without becoming ac- quainted with their contents. I have thus climbed to some dozens of Crows' nests, but never yet met with one, the eggs of which were covered. The Crow builds its nest in trees, sometimes in a thick fir ; it is built of sticks, strongly cemented together with clay ; it is then lined with roots, and afterwards with a large quantity of wool, pieces of fur, and any other soft material, often two or three inches thick. The eggs are four or five in number, and though very much resembling tliose of the Rook, are mostly B larger: this is not always, however, the case ; they vary much, as the plate will shew. Fig. 1 is not unusual ; Fig. 2, with other dark vaieties, of various shades of colour, is the most common ; Fig. 3 a remarkable one ; I took two of this singular variety from a nest, together with one which was as deeply coloured as Fig. 2. In 1832, a pair of these birds took a sin- gular fancy into their heads; deserting the habits of their forefathers, and the society of their species, they repaired to one of the Fern Islands to breed, apparently thus subjecting themselves to very great inconvenience. Contrary to their usual habits, they built their nest upon the ground (there being no trees upon the islands) ; this was of most curious construction, and instead of sticks, of which it is always formed, and which the neighbourhood would not supply, the outside of the nest was formed of small pieces of turf, neatly laid upon each other, and formed into a compact wall ; this was lined with the usual quantity of wool, which was all brought from the main-land, at the distance of four or five miles. UJra-wii Dii S lonely "W.C."Hevoi,S(m »a^ JUiJ^»' i> (' H^-vri!fiu7. l;a>- k H*.gb.eLitiL'."totJierong CXII. FREGILUS GKACULUS. (Cuv.) Cornish Chough. Rku-leggkd Crow. To the persevering kindness of the Rev. W. D. Fox, I am indebted for the egg from which the accompanying drawing is made, together with the nest in which it was taken, with four others. The Red-legged Crow is tolerably frequent around the British islands. It abounds on the Isle of Man ; is said to breed on some of the Western Isles of Scotland ; is met with sparingly near Berwick-ou-T weed, and on the coasts of Devonshire and Cornwall. Mr. Fox has also observed them on all the steep rocks and promontories of the Isle of Wight, and on the noble cliffs of the Isle of Purbeck, in Dorsetshire. It is likewise found on most of the rocky shores of North and South Wales. It is, notwithstanding its pretty general distribution, a matter of great difficulty to procure its eggs ; and it was not till after some years of fruitless endeavour, that Mr. Fox succeeded in obtaining them. This, he tells me, is owing to the " excessive caution the birds employ in selecting their places of nidifica- tion. These are always on the face of the steep cliff, and in general in clefts, far in ; the passage to which turns at right angles frequently, so that you cannot reach the nest, or even see it." He adds, " I obtained a young one, which I much regretted losing, as he promised to be very clever, and attached to me. He followed me very well, and seemed to have all the cunning of the Magpie." Montague mentions an instance of a pair of Choughs, which bred for many years in the ruins of Crow Castle, in the vale of Llangollen. And Temminck says, that they breed on trees, though rarely. The nest is composed outwardly of sticks, succeeded by a quantity of roots and dry grass, lined with very fine roots, grass, and wool. If I may judge from the specimens of the eggs which I have seen, they differ but slightly from Fig. 1, of the plate. GARRULUS GLANDARIUS. Jay. The harsh cry of the Jay, " discordant heard alone," if not disagreeable, is, to myself at least, unaccompanied with any of those delightful sensations which the wild wood note of every other bird never ceases to impart. I speak in ignorance of the more agreeable notes mentioned by Montague, never having heard any other than the loud, peevish, quarrelsome sort of cry which it mostly utters. The Jay is at all times a very shy bird, and difficult to approach. It hides during the breeding season in the thickest and least frequented parts of our woods ; and builds its nest upon the bough of a low tree. It is formed of sticks, lined with fine roots ; and is in some instances very compactly put together. The eggs are from four to six in number, and differ con- siderably; but as, fi-om their size, they cannot easily be mistaken for those of any other bird, I have not thought it necessary to figure any varieties. They are frequently much darker, as well as considerably lighter than the plate; are sometimes of a greener colouring; and not unfrequently en- circled towards the larger end with a distinct ring of darker spots : in some instances, this ring is near the smaller end. II Zi-aun' an 'fivnvtji il ' i' J/e,wiistm .i>viit,d> tf C Mif^j>»'tlti IX. STURNUS VULGARIS, (linn.) Starling or Stare, Chep-Starlino, &c. The Starling is too well known to need much description. It is an early breeder, and repairs to its accustomed haunts at the end of March or beginning of April, to commence ni- dification. It builds its nest of dried grass, in the holes of trees, church-steeples, ruins, old walls, and in cliffs by the sea- coast, and not unfrequently in dove-cotes, and is, in con- sequence, accused of sucking the Pigeon's eggs. Whether this is the case, I am not able to say, but Montague very much doubts the fact. The female lays four or five eggs, dif- fering sometimes a little in size. CXXXT. Irasmnn.StioMlo.v'WC Hewjtfoit. 3)MrfeEaglieLi.tb!^rotteXuig. CXWIV. MOTACILLA NEGLKCTA. (Goui.n. fiRKv Hkaoki) ^'i;m,o\v \Va(;tail. SiNCF-: the marks of (liffercnco which distiuf^iiish this species from the Common Yellow Wagtail, with wliich we are so familiar, were first pointed out by Mr. Gould, it has been added to the list of our British Birds. The first specimen which was noticed in this country, was killed by my friend Mr. Doubleday ; others have since occurred in various parts, two of which are recorded in the Magazine of Zoology and Botany, one killed near Newcastle- upon-Tyne, the other in Suffolk, by Mr. Hoy, to whoso kindness I am indebted for a nest and a series of the eggs, collected by him whilst on the Continent, (from which the most prominent varieties are selected for the Plate,) and also for the infonnation following. " Tlie M. Neglecta amves about the middle of April, and is then seen following the plough in search of insects. It differs from the Yellow AVagtail in its breeding places ; whilst our species most commonly makes its nest in dry situations in com fields, the Continental species prefers low, wet lands, placing its nest upon the gi'ound in marshes, by the side of ditches in meadows, on the borders of inland pools and meres, and often on the boggy parts of heaths." To the correctness of these observations I can bear witness. Whenever we observed them whilst in Norway, though not then aware that the species which we were noticing, was distinct from that which we had been accustomed to see at home, they were upon marshes so wet and boggy, that it was with difficulty we could explore them. Of these, my friend Mr. John Hancock shot one, for future examination, which proves to be the M. Neglecta. We did not, however, notice any difference in its habits, as mentioned by Mr. N. C. Strickland. The nest is formed of coarse grass, and those mosses which grow in wet situations, strengthened by pieces of strong heath, and lined with fine grass and roots, moss and hair. The eggs, which are four or five in number, are rarely so much coloured as the darkest figure of the Plate. xljh : ,^tr"ivT' " /I'f'lT.S'-!. Jhr'.iw. in S StUjrjTtUi'- XLIII. COCCOTHRAUSTES VULGARIS, (brisson.) Grosbeak. This bird has before been said to breed in this country, but the instances are very rare, if not altogether doubtful. Mr. Doubleday, of Epping, has for some years suspected that it must breed in the neighbouring forest, having occa- sionally seen the bird, and likewise some eggs of a species unknown to him, and has, by his assiduity during the summer of the present year, established this very interesting fact by finding several of their nests and eggs : to his kindness and liberality (which will in various instances contribute to the value of this work,) I am indebted for the nest and eggs of this rare bird, together with the following information. It breeds in May and June ; in some instances in bushy trees at the height of five or six feet, and in others near the top of firs, at an elevation of twenty or thirty feet; tlie nest is remarkably shallow and carelessly put together, being scarcely deeper than that of the Ring Dove; in materials it resembles that of the Bullfinch, but is by no means to be compared to it in neatness and compactness of construction ; it is chiefly formed of sticks, interspersed with pieces of white lichens from the bark of trees, and is loosely lined with roots : the eggs are from four to six in number, varying as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed Plate. PYRRHULA VULGARIS, (brisson.) The Bullfinch. The Bullfinch is seldom seen during the summer months, except in the thickest woods and copses, commonly choosing a black-thorn bush for the reception of its nest ; I have rarely seen it in any other situation, though it is also built upon the flat branches of yew and fir trees. It is composed of moss and roots, lined with wool and hair, much resembling that of the Green Linnet, but differing from it in being formed upon a platform of sticks, in which it resembles the Grosbeak ; it lays four or five eggs, much like those of the Linnet, but having a blue ground colour. The Bullfinch breeds in May and June. ^ JTI 1^ ^ v^ •S'- Ih-avm. cii Stent ti/ i'l'CJle.wii.'n^Ki JYvntML' nif CAM XVI. FRINGILLA CHLORIS. (temm.) Green Linnet, Green-Finch. Few birds breed more abundantly in this country than the Green Linnet. Its nest is loosely put together on the out- side, which is composed of small twigs, roots, moss, and wool, becoming finer and more firm as the structure advances, and is thickly lined with wool, very fine roots and grass, hair, and a few feathers. It may be found in almost every tall hedge, in thorn bushes, in evergreens, in hollies, in ivy against trees and walls, and, in one instance, I have met with it upon a pollard apple tree. It is most commonly at an elevation of five or six feet or more, very rarely lower. The eggs are four or five, differing but slightly, as in Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed plate. Birds in a state of nature rarely lay those half-grown mis- shappen eggs which our common fowls frequently do, but there are odd ones occasionally found. I have one from the nest of the Green Linnet, not more than half the usual size, and quite white. FRINGILLA CCELEBS. (linn.) Chaffinch, Skelly, Shell-apple, Scobby, Pick-a-tree, &c. Like the above, this is a common and well-known bird, the nest of which must have been admired by every one de- riving any pleasure from the observation of tlie beautiful and wonderful contrivances of birds in the formation of their nests. Few birds can compete with the Chaffinch in the neatness, symmetry, and elegant arrangement of the materials of its nest. They are principally moss, so worked and matted toge- ther with wool, that it is no easy matter to pull it into pieces as small as those of which it was first formed. In tiic inside is a very thick lining of dry grass, wool, feathers, thistle-down and hair, and, in fact, any soft material that can be met with. admirably smooth and even. Its beauties do not end here ; the outside is equally worthy of admiration. It is covered with the grey and yellow lichens, picked from the bark of trees, forming a pretty contrast with the green moss, and apparently ornamented according to the taste of the little architect, and bound round the outside with the stalks of umbelliferous plants or grasses. To these lichens the Chaf- finch seems to be particularly partial, and we can attribute this partiality to nothing but an unerring instinct guiding it in the choice of that which shall best conceal its abode from the sight of its enemies, by its resemblance to the tree upon which its nest is built, which tree is frequently clothed with the same lichens. I have never found its nest without a co- vering of this sort, or something to substitute it. I was particularly struck with one, now in my possession, which was built upon a branch of a large willow, in a situa- tion near which no lichens grew, which has white paper torn into small pieces by the bird, and with great ingenuity fixed to the outside in lieu of them. Mr. Rennie mentions several like instances ; he says — " I have found the nest webs of spiders, bundled up into little tufts, and stuck in similarly to lichens ; and in the cotton factories at Catrine, in Ayrshire, I have seen many Chaffinch's nests stuck over in the same manner with small tufts of cotton wool." The Chaffinch builds in very many different situations, preferring old moss-grown apple trees, white thorn bushes, and crab trees. There are, however, few trees upon the branches of which its nest is not sometimes found ; occasion- ally upon the flat bough of a spruce fir, in hollies, and often in hedges, contrary to the opinion of Mr. Jennings, who says, they " rarely or never" are found in the latter situation. I once found one on the top of a stake fence. The nest is small in comparison with that of most other little birds, be- ing usually only one inch and three-fourths in diameter inside. It contains four or five eggs, mostly like Fig. 3 of the plate, sometimes varying as Fig. 4. I have the eggs from one nest so much like those of the Bullfinch, that I should have con- sidered them such, had I not seen the old bird upon them. CXXOTL. T'jia?fm.i:.ii-5tOTiel5j-^T C Hswitscm.. D ccj- i-iU-p^ iii-iii?:^ to xteEixi; . CXXXVII. CARDUELIS ELEGANS. (Stephens.) Goldfinch. I HAVE no where seen the Goldfinch so abundant as it is in the Midland Counties of Derby, Nottingham, and Leices- ter, where it is universally known by the absurd name of Proud Tailor. Most of the gardens and orchards which surround the various villages and farm houses, are their resort during the summer months. The favourite position for their nest, in such situations, is similar to that chosen by the Chaffinch, the bough of an apple, or of a pear tree ; when in the neighbouring inclo- sures, that of a low elm. It is also frequently built in ever- gi-eens. The eggs from which the accompanying dramng is made, were selected from a nest containing the unusual number of six, which was built at the top of a lofty laurel, in the garden of my friend Mr. F. Simpson, who had for weeks (during the long and protracted spring,) previous to the discovery of the nest, noticed the constant resort of the birds to that particulai' tree, upon which they seem to have fixed their choice, on their first arrival in the neighbourhood. The nest was of beautiful construction, and reminded me much (surrounded as it was by the leaves of the laurel,) of those diminutive homes of the Humming Bird, which are fre- quently brought to this countr)^, circled by evergreen leaves. The nest is very small and is sometimes a good deal like that of the Chaffinch in neatness of outline, altliough without its compactness of form ; it contains also a much greater proportion of moss in its formation. The outer part is of moss and roots, closely intermixed and twisted together with wool, and ornamented outside with lichens, it is thickly lined with the soft seed of Willows and thistles mixed with the down of feathers, and a few hairs. The eggs, which are mostly four or five, vary very little, and are much like those of the different species of Linnet. xrvx. ^•.^^ j^m liyiwiioo. 5t(mei,y^C-fle-wit5 0i. . J)rt,v ASsigkeIi.lh':*tr -iie Kmg. XCVl. LINARIA CANNABINA. (Swains.) Grey Linnet, Brown Linnet. It has long been a matter of doubt, whether or not there are two species of Grey Linnets. The difference I have observed in the size of the nest and eggs, has often led me to think that there are. Those nests which I have found in hedges, and in situations similar to those chosen by the Green Grosbeak, are generally larger, as well as the eggs in them, than those which I have taken in whins. The Grey Linnet builds its nest in hedges and furze ; it is composed of small sticks and stalks of plants, mixed with moss, roots, and wool, and is lined with hair and feathers, with sometimes a mixture of thistle or willow down. The eggs are four or five, not unfrequently six in num- ber. Plate XCVI. Figs. 1 and 2. LINARIA MONTANA. (Ray.) Mountain Linnet or Twite. The Mountain Linnet frequents, during the breeding sea- son, the mountainous heathy districts of England and Scot- land ; I have also met with it in the Shetland islands. Its nest, which is composed of heath and dry grass, lined with wool, fine roots, hair, and feathers, is placed either in some whin bush, or amongst the tall heather, and contains from four to six eggs, differing only from those of the Grey Linnet in being somewhat smaller. Fig. 3. LINARIA MINOR. (Ray.) Lesser Redpole. In the position of its nest, the Lesser Redpole diflfers con- siderably from either of the preceding species ; it is placed in situations much less sheltered, being usually found, like the nest of the Chaffinch, upon the bough of a low tree, or single thorn, bordering the margins of mountain woods, sometimes in a tall hedge, upon the branches of the crab-tree. It is of elegant construction, being formed of stalks of plants, roots, mosses, arid dry grass, with hair towards the inside, and beau- tifully lined with the white catkins of the willow, equalling the finest cotton-wool. I have found the nest, however, without any of the last mentioned material; hair, fine grasses, and feathers being substituted in its stead. The eggs are four or five in number : the time of incubation, June. Fig. 4. 2M»Hnjxim£.-ojV C Herwitj OH- . ll a.T ISaahe T.ift^' to -the ] CXXVI. EMBEllIZA IIORTULANA. Ortolan IU'ntinc;. In Italy, Gennany, and various ])arts of the Continent, the Ortolan Bunting is an abundant species. I am fortunate in being able to give some account of it from an eye-witness of its habits. The liberality of Mr. Hoy has also furnished me with the nests and several beautiful varieties of the eggs, from which the figures are drawn ; each the rejiresentative of a different nest. The Ortolan Bunting begins to build early in May ; it places its nest almost invariably in the com, preferring rye to other kinds ; indeed it is partial to light sandy soils, where rye is much cultivated. The nest is placed in some little hollow in the ground, in tlie manner of that of the Skylark ; it is formed of dry grass and roots, thickly lined towards the interior with very fine roots ; in some the inside is finished with a few hairs. The eggs are four or five, sometimes, though rarely, six in number. As will be seen by the plate, they resemble a good deal those of the Yellow and Black-headed Bimtings. Mr. Hoy adds, " I have never found them breeding except amongst corn. The male is almost incessant in his monotonous song during the pairing season : it much resembles others of the tribe, having some resemblance to that of the Cirl as well as the Reed Bunting." /in^ymmiJtom iif H''ff//t,»U«m XI. EMBERIZA CIRLUS. (linn.) CiRL Bunting. The Cirl Bunting was first discovered in this country by Colonel Montague ; and as I have never seen its nest, I shall copy his own words. He says — " We first discovered this species near Kingsbridge, in 1800 ; they are indigenous to Devonshire, but seem to be confined to the southern parts of that county, contiguous to the coast, having found them ex- tending as far as Teignmouth, at both of which places we found their nests, but have never observed them far inland. It generally builds in furze, or some low bush ; the nest is composed of dry stalks, roots, and a little moss, lined with long hair, and fibrous roots ; the eggs are 4 or 5 in number." EMBERIZA NIVALIS, (linn.) Snow Bunting, Tawny Bunting, Snow Flake, &c. The Snow Bunting has never been known to breed in this country, but only visits us during the winter, and repairs to more northerly regions to propagate its species. Pennant says that they breed in Greenland ; they were also met with in several of the places visited by Captain Parry in his northern voyages. Captain Lyon found them on Melville Island, and describes their nests as being " placed in the crevices of rocks, or amongst loose stones, and constructed of dried grass, neatly lined with white deer's hair." Lieutenant Ross likewise de- scribes one which was found at the Whale Fish Islands early in July, formed of dried grass, and lined with feathers, which were covered with a fine white down. They lay six or seven eggs- Though the same species generally chooses nearly the same situation for its nest, no certain dependence can be placed upon the fact ; and of this a curious instance has occurred to me, since describing, in a former number, the nest, &c. of the Yellow Hammer, a bird which generally breeds near the ground, but, contrary to its usual habit, I found a nest and eggs in a fir tree, at an elevation of about six feet — strongly exemplifying a remark made to me by Mr. Yarrell, that as the Buntings become more nearly allied to the Larks by the length of their hind claws, so they likewise resemble them in their habit of building on the ground. Of this, the Common Bunting (Emberiza miliaria) and Snow Bunting, both of which have the claw produced, are instances ; the former very rarely, the latter I believe never, raising its nest above the ground. The kindness of Mr. Yarrell has enabled me to figure the two rare eggs in the accompanying plate, together with many others which will occur throughout the work, some of which could only be obtained from his rich cabinet, the contents of which he has with the greatest liberality offered for my use. CXXXDC J)ra--w:n.an- Stone -lj,T"VrC Si-wits'jn. Ji;.}! ft lU^Kc i.iU.i?»totke King CXXXIX. ALAUDA ARVENSIS. (Linn.) Sky Lark. The eggs of the Sky Lark, though lujt finite so remark- able as those of the Tree Pipit for extreme variableness in their colouring, are subject to great variety. I am not satislied that those in tlie Plate (although chosen from a large series of specimens) will illustrate to the eyes of others those which they have been used to look upon as the most chai'acteristic of the species. I have found it more difficult than in any other drawing, to select those which 1 consider the most prevalent. Fig. 1 is frequent as is Fig. 2 with many shades of the same gieenish colouring. There are varieties much lighter, and less closely freckled than either, but I have never before met wdth one which so closely resembles the eggs of the Woodlark, as Fig. 3 ; another from the same nest, is lighter, with the markings smaller, and a good deal like some eggs of the Pied Wagtail. The eggs of the Sky Lark differ much in shape ; some are long and pointed at the smaller end, and in form, similar to the eggs of the Waders, whilst others are short and broad. Specimens from the collection of Mr. Doubleday, though slightly coloured elsewhere, are circled near the larger end witli a continuous zone of deep brown. The nest is made almost entirely of dried grasses, finer towards the inside, mixed with a few roots ; it is placed upon the ground, and may be found in almost every situation which the country affords — the grassy meadow, the com field, the open pasture, and on the bare sod of the ploughed land ; it may also be met with amongst the long tufts of grass which abound in lands partially boggy, and in newly made plantations. The Sky Lark breeds earlier, but I have mostly found its eggs in May or Jmiej they are from three to five, very often not exceeding three. ALAUDA ARBOREA. Wood Lauk. Until very lately the egg of the Woodlark has been known by few, and has been represented in most collec- tions by that beautiful variety of the egg of the Tree Pipit, which is drawn in Plate CXIV. Fig. 4 of this work. In my various inquiries for the eggs, I was unable to obtain them, and until supplied with a beautiful series of varieties by my kind correspondent, Mr. Hoy, I had never seen them. I have since received a nest and eggs from Mr. Doubleday, taken in Epping Forest. The difficulty of procuring its eggs, may be accounted for, by the value which is set upon the young birds, and the eagerness with which they are sought in order to rear them for the cage. The Woodlark, though not a rare bird, being met with in most of the southern counties, is, I believe, nowhere numerous. It has been frequently taken by the bird-catchers, within a few miles of York, and is not unfrequent in various parts of Derbyshire. It is partial to newly enclosed lands, and to light, heathy districts, and makes its nest for the most part, on those bare pastures which usually surround them, especially if trees or plantations are near at hand. The nest, which is formed of coarse grass and roots, mixed occasionally with moss, and the skeletons of decayed leaves, lined with the same materials, though finer, together with a few hairs, is placed in a tussock of grass, sometimes at the foot of a scrubby bush. Mr, N. Wood mentions an instance, in which he found one upon the stump of a felled tree. Mr. Hoy informs me, that he has found the eggs early in March, in mild seasons, and as late as the end of July ; they are four or five, and usually resemble either Fig. 4 or 5 of the Plate, but without the beautiful blotches of Fig. 5, which are of rare occurrence. I have some that are larger than either figure, and less clearly spotted. These eggs, though, for the most part, showing but slight resemblance to those of the Sky Lark, are, nevertheless, admirably repre- sented by the eggs of that species, as a reference to Fig. 3 will sufficiently indicate. ^' p^ On Sto-tte I'T W C TIfw-iiiHTn. . Pay !i:.Ha.gh£lJth?.'t»tJiie'Ki-n.g. xcv. PICUS VIRIDIS. (Linn.) Green Woodpecker. The Green Woodpecker very soon discovers its neigh- bourhood, by its loud and very singular cry ; this is the more remarkable in rainy weather. The loud, joyous, laugliing note, which it then utters, has often reconciled me to a wet jacket. It builds its nest in the trunks of trees, frequently at a considerable height above the ground. In Norway, where the churches are chiefly of wood, we observed a Green Wood- pecker, which had chosen for its nest the elevated situation of the spire, in the side of which it had, most irreverently, bored its hole. The hole of entrance is frequent!}- so small, tliat the eggs are accessible only after the long and laborious use of the axe. They are four or five in number, and are laid upon the fine particles of the rotten wood, which remain at the bottom of the hole ; they are of a pure white, and so glossy that they have the appearance of having been varnished. The Green Woodpecker begins to sit early in May. Fig. 2. PICUS MAJOR. (Linn.) Great Spotted Woodpecker. The Great Spotted Woodpecker is surely either a rare bird in this countr}', or one which most effectually evades the D X1.IX -prami on Sf:ore & r.-rvUA ij If. C.JitJ^-tiior XLIX. SITTA EUROlMilA. (linn.) Nuthatch. The Nuthatch breeds like the Woodpeckers — in holes of trees, the entrance to which is most admirably protected and contracted by a plaster of clay till it is just sufficiently large to admit the ingress of the bird ; this it defends against its enemies with the greatest courage, making a hissing noise like the Blue Titmouse when attacked. The nest consists of a few dry leaves, with sometimes a little grass ; its eggs are from five to seven in number, and, as seen at Figure 2 of the plate, generally so closely resembling those of the Greater Titmouse that it is exceedingly difficult, if not sometimes im- possible, to distinguish them. Figure 1 is a variety seldom met with. CERTHIA FAMILIARIS. (linn.) Creeper. The eggs of the Creeper resemble almost as closely those of the Blue and Marsh Titmouse, particularly the latter, as the eggs of the Nuthatch do those of the Greater Titmouse; they are, however, usually rather longer in proportion to their breadth, and have the spots more concentrated at the larger end. Of these. Figure 3 is a representation. There are other varieties which diffigr in shape as well as in the arrangement of the spots, being rounder and freckled all over; if mixed with eggs of the Titmice, and even with some of those of the Willow Wren, it would be very uncertain work to attempt to separate them. The Creeper builds in holes of trees, in sucii places as those out of which a branch has been torn, or where the bark pro- trudes from the tree leaving sufficient room behind it. The nest is formed of dry grass and bits of moss, lined with feathers, and very loosely put together ; the eggs are from six to nine in number. CI. IV , KvW 'J llcy-ilsoi. na,v K HA^l.irh" totke Qu CLIV. TR'OGLODYTES EUROPa-'.US. (CuviER.) Common Wren. Kitty Wren. The nest of the Wren is of an oval form, arched over, and protected on every side. It is a most beautiful specimen of strength, warmth, and neatness ; and so compact and closely interwoven, that one in my collection might be kicked about the floor, without disaiTanging or disuniting those minute par- ticles of moss of which it was first formed. It is usually con- structed of green mosses, and from its close resemblance to the situation in which it is placed, is admirably protected from discovery: this is most commonly against the moss-grown side of a rock, a bank, or an old tree, in the decayed side of which the nest is formed; and were it not for the small hole of entrance, would be regarded as only a portion of the tree. I have found it in the middle of a furze or whin bush, and constructed chiefly of dry grass ; sometimes covered outside with ferns J and not unfrequently against the side of a clover stack, formed entirely of the clover, and becoming a piece of the stack itself; and were it not for the flight of the bird from the spot, it would have run no risk of detection. No bird is so jealous of discovery or intrusion, as the Wren. Amongst a great number of nests which I have found in the progress of building, I have never known one proceeded with, after having been once discovered and touched ; it being quite impossible to thrust the finger into the tiny entrance, without disarranging the neatness and beautiful symmetry of its form. This I have always found to cause its abandonment by the owner; and may readily account for the number of unfinished nests, which we used at school to call " cocks' nests," sup- posing that they were built by the male bird, for its own particular abode. When incubation is proceeded with, and the eggs have been sitten upon for some time, the Wren, like all other birds, becomes much more attached to them, and is not then so easily driven to forsake them. The Rev. W. D. Fox has communicated to me a remarkable instance of this attachment, in one which would suffer its nest to be taken in the hand and examined, i-emaining the while quietly seated on its eggs. The Wren is a hardy solitary little bird, and may be seen in some of our bleakest and most unsheltered districts. We saw it on some of the most sterile heaths of Shetland ; the only support for its nest being the bank of some mountain gully ; its only shelter the overhanging sod. Notwithstanding the number of eggs which the Wren has been stated by Ornithologists and others to lay, I have never succeeded in finding more than eight, and seldom more than seven, in the same nest. They are sometimes much less spotted than either of the figures, and are not unfrequently quite white. Ornithologists differ much as to the inside of the nest of the Wren ; some maintaining that it is thickly lined with feathers, whilst others deny that it has any in its composition. I have found it both with and without such lining ; but cannot from recollection say which most frequently. LV j)ra»'.^ .^ st.>,. iu nrc m^fzf^'"^ iwni,^ i^ n:f::. IMcd ^V"agtail, and the (iiasshoppcr Warbler ; it most fre- quently, however, makes choice of that of the Titlark, which is common on those open heaths, Its favourite resort. The egg, which is remarkable for its small size, is thus, together with its colour, most admirably fitted for the deception which it is intended to practise. Though very similar in some in- stances to those of the Skylark, there is a character about it peculiar to itself, by which it may be readily known ; its shape is more oval ; it is, also, in most instances, marked with mi- nute black dots. To Mr. Blackwall, I am indebted for several specimens, from which the above figures are selected. They are rarely so dark as Fig. 1 ; and usually rather more so than Fig. 2. <'KULX, ib.rfVTii.'.rilS'CCIlSli^'Vr? "Hfe'atSQ Diy KEi^elitb.^^ to tii& Oy e CXLIX. COCCYZUS AMERICANUS. (Bona p.) American Cuckoo. Upon the authority of Mr. Gould, I have figured the egg of the American Cuckoo, furnished me from the collection of Mr. Yarrell. Mr. Gould states that it has been four times taken within the British Islands, twice in Ireland, once in Wales, and in Cornwall. I copy the following from Wilson's American Ornithology. " The singular, I will not say unnatural, conduct of the European Cuckoo, (Cuculus canorus) which never constructs a nest for itself, is so universally known, that the whole tribe of Cuckoos have, by some inconsiderate people, been stigma- tized as destitute of all parental care and affection. Without attempting to account for this remarkable habit of the European species, I will only remark, that the bird now before us builds its own nest, hatches its own eggs, and rears its own young. Early in May they begin to pair, when obstinate battles take place amongst the males. About the tenth of the month they begin building. The nest is usually fixed among the horizontal branches of an apple-tree ; sometimes in a solitary thorn, crab, or cedar, in some retired part of the woods. It is constructed with little art, and scarcely any concavity, of small sticks and twigs, intermixed with green weeds and blossoms of the common maple. On this almost flat bed, the eggs, usually three or four in number, are placed. While the female is sitting, the male is usually not far distant, and gives the alarm by his notes, when any person is approaching. Tlie female sits so close, that you may almost reach her with your hand, and then precipitates herself to the ground, feigning lameness, to draw you from the spot ; fluttering, trailing her wings, and tumbling over, in the manner of the Partridge, and many other species." CXI Jb:a:rtti.aii.&taiie )ij W. CJLewiCB UB -Da.N !!clUg^.eljth»':''lothcXvBj; CXI. UPUFA EPOS. (1.1 NN.) Hoopoe. The best account of the summer habits of the Hoopoe which I have seen, is by Mr. E. H. Greenhow, in the seventh volume of Loudon's Magazine, which I will here take the liberty of transcribing in his ovvti words : — " On the Bordeaux side of the Garonne, and near the city, are large spaces of marshy ground, intersected by broad ditches and creeks, ter- minating in the river, where, from the advantage derived from the water, many poplars and willows are planted, for the sake of the twigs, which are much used for tying vines. These trees, being topped at about ten or twelve feet from the ground, so as to induce them to sprout much, become very thick, and in the course of a few years gradually decaying at the centre, are attacked by numerous tribes of insects. In these retired places, which are frequented only by a few cow- herds and countrj' people, the Hoopoe, which is a very shy bird, may be frequently observed examining the rotten wood, and feeding on the insects with which it abounds. The Hoopoe flies low and seldom, unless when disturbed ; its food being so abundant as to require little seaich. It remains the whole year, and breeds in a hollow willow, about the end of May, laying two eggs. The young come out in June." Instances are given, which render it probable that the Hoopoe would breed in this country, if permitted, on its next periodi- cal visit, to remain unmolested. Montague mentions a pair which began a nest iu Hampshire ; and Mr. Blyth says, that other two frequented a garden in the neighbourhood of Tooting, Surrey, in 1833. CXIIL. Ctn. SLaixei)y"VrC Bi-witsixii.. J'ajr fcHa.^k4adtK. CXIIl. CORACIAS GAllRULA. (Linn. Roller. The Roller is one of those few occasional visitants of the British Islands, the brilliancy of whose plumage at once tells us that it has but little right to a place in our catalogue. The few instances of its occurrence with us have been chiefly in the North of Britain. It is common in the forests of Germany, and not unfrequent in other parts of the north of Europe. It is said to breed in the holes of decayed trees, laying from four to seven eggs; these bear a close resem- blance to those of the Bee-eater and Kingfisher, in the round- ness of their contour, and the glossy varnished appearance of the shell. J}rami en/Jlvn* if WCSewiben/- Jhniuii ly ('SuSnuKHiM X. ALCEDO ISriDA. (linn.) Kingfisher. This splendid bird breeds sparingly in the sand banks of many of our rivers, in a hole at the depth of two or three feet, in which it lays six or seven eggs, sometimes upon a collection of small fish bones, but I think more commonly on the bare sand. From the many absurd and exaggerated accounts given of the nest of this bird, Colonel Montague was induced to pay particular attention to its habits, and gives the following very accurate and interesting particulars, perfectly agreeing with my own observations : — " The hole chosen to breed in is always ascending ; at the end is scooped a hollow, at the bottom of which is a quantity of small fish bones, nearly half an inch thick, mixed in with the earth. This is undoubtedly the castings of the parent birds, and not the young, for we have found it even before they have eggs. The hole in which they breed is by no means fouled by the castings ; but before the young are able to fly, it becomes extremely foetid by the faeces of the brood, which is of a watery nature, and cannot be carried away by the parent birds, as is common with most of the smaller species ; in defect of which, instinct has taught them to have the entrance to their habitation ascending, by which means the filthy matter runs off, and may frequently be seen on the outside.^' MEROPS APIASTER. (linn.) Bee-Eater. The Bee-Eater is only an occasional visiter of this island, but breeds on various parts of the Continent, in holes in the sandy banks of rivers, in manner much like the Kingfisher, and lays from five to seven eggs. The egg from w^hich the accompanying dravi^ing was made is in the collection of William Yarrell, Esq., and was given him by Baron Laugier, who said that it was taken out of a hole perforated four feet deep in the bank of a river. The alliance between the Kingfisher and Bee-eater, shown in their formation, is much more striking in their habits ; their mode of breeding is the same ; their eggs are also per- fectly alike, each having a bright glossiness peculiar to them. ZII -limmmifiiTMiyTir C Simlsm. J^fa jjM^ yy^^^i^dr. 'O^m ei^m> ^^1"^^^ :.-^: .*a^^ ^^ sf P3te — r* m^-:^^- ^^ 1^ »L^.:3iS'^ 1'^ e^ '■yg^ ,i4sa»! 5G?: :>:■>> "^>^^3P^g ^ L^l> ^J* "■> Z*'-' A^^- ^ k -T 7)' h mi} V>>>-!» J>2» ^ wm '^A/\\A/\/\y '"W^^^ kAj A/\/\/Vv\..- <\ K V vv V Y ^^ -. /\/\/\./\/SA/\ V V V\A/VV^/^/^/^/^/^ > )C^